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Questions came to mind, but the feline held her tongue as she was led down an unseen path, keeping a tight grip on the girl's hand. Amber was the only light source, and yet their surroundings remained a void. It even felt like they were just walking in place, not moving an inch. As frustrating as it was, she placed her trust in the child that she knew where she was going. After all, she kept telling herself, if she could find me, then she can find a way out.

It wasn't known how long they were traveling for. Ever since she was placed in this dark place, Mew had lost track of time. All she knew was that the more she felt the pain, the less time she had. However, it was like it all had faded away when the girl visited her. The dull aches of wounds pleading to be healed were still there, but she hadn't felt new ones open, nor felt the urge to hurt herself. In fact, the only objects of interest on her mind were this human and the well-being of her friends. Her negativity was gone. A small smile grew on her face, thankful to be with Amber.

Then an ear flicked, and she could make out faint sounds of a mournful cry—it almost sounded like a multitude. She looked around, noticing the blackness had toned down to a bluish tint, signs of light nearby. The more it lightened up, the more she realized there were people everywhere, some louder than others, even so, they were alike in some ways. None of them that she could make out were as bright as Amber, albeit still recognizable as humans and Pokémon, and they were all in a state of sadness. They all kept their distances, refusing to say a word to a neighbor or to look at them. Nevertheless, when they walked by, all heads turned in their direction.

The Legendary frowned. “Amber... where are we?”

She glanced down. “Spirit Prison. It's where sinners stay.”

Mew's expression deepened. “But... if we're all sinners... then how is it some people go to a good place like heaven?”

“The majority aren't directly sent to their rightful kingdoms. That's not until the Final Judgment. But when we die, we are judged according to our works, and then are sent to either Spirit Prison, or Spirit Paradise.”

“So... this 'Paradise' is where the good people go?”

Amber nodded. “The spotless arrive there, and then they go throughout Prison to teach the people. That way, everyone gets a second chance at life.”

After a quick glimpse at a nearby on-looker, she took deep breaths. “So you're telling me I was in Prison, then?”

“Sort of. It was more like isolation. Demons don't judge spirits, it's not in their authority. But they do try and hide away people to the farthest reaches of Prison.” The girl slowly let out a breath, and a loving smile graced her face. “They have of yet to succeed at eternal bondage, though.”

Mew felt a gasp die in her throat, and a warning sting at her eyes caused her to rub them (thus irritating them once more). “So... A-Amber? Where are we going, then?”

“To the Veil.”

She blinked, wondering if her ears had failed her for a second. “Sorry, what? You mentioned a what?”

The girl laughed quietly, and she swung their arms in a rhythmic motion. “You know, the Veil. It separates the living from the dead.”

Her mind suddenly clicked , and she nearly released her hold in surprise when she choked out, “Dead!”

Slowing to a gait, Amber shook her head when she locked gazes, bending down to her eye-level. “Don't worry, Mew. You aren't fully dead.”

“B-But I'm in the Spirit World!” she shrieked out. “I'm a spirit! I'm nowhere near my friends, surrounded by others I feel I should know but don't, and you...! Y-You're glowing!”

Giggling, she corrected her, “Remember when I said that the moment we die, we are judged? Demons don't judge the dead, Mew. You were taken away by force, led to lose faith, and to hate yourself. While you are in spirit form, because you haven't been judged yet, you are still free to roam around. Thus, you were able to go into Mewtwo's dream until you were found.” Her smile then transitioned to a solemn beam. “Your friends were praying for you and Mewtwo,” she murmured sadly. “They miss you a lot.”

Her eyes widened, a watery film dissolving into view. “They know...?”

“Not really.” She straightened up. “They just know you and Mewtwo are missing, and they've been looking everywhere for you, they're so worried.”

Mew laid a hand on her heart, feeling a twang of happiness at the news. “I'm worried about them, too,” she sighed. “I wish... I could let them know that.”

Amber took a glance over her shoulder. “You want to see them?” she softly requested.

She snapped her head up with a cautious look. “What's the catch?”

“There's no catch, really. But at the moment... I won't enable you to talk to them just yet.”

Her brows slightly rose. “Why? Is there... something wrong?”

Without another word, she gently pulled her through the thinning crowd. Mew began to fear the worst, but hoped at the same time it was more of a technical difficulty with communication, if spirits were capable of running into that. She stole looks from the surrounding spirits, wondering if any of them were aware of anything that may be happening on the other side. From the solemn expressions on their faces, something was going wrong.

Her hand was released when they stopped, and she stared at the most bizarre thing she had ever seen. While it looked like it still continued down into the misty space, even showing other spirits lingering beyond it, there was the hint of a wave as if it was silky fabric with a velvet appearance. The size of it wasn't known, it seemed to rise and stretch into eternity.

Amber gazed upon it with that of love and nostalgia. “Do you know what the Veil's purpose is?” she inquired without tearing away from the sight.

Once she found her voice, Mew shook her head while stuttering, “I-I... well... you mentioned it separates the dead from the living...”

“Do you know why?”

“No...”

“It's a sign of mercy. If mortals knew what life was before birth and after death, they wouldn't make as many choices as Father would have liked them to make.” The girl sighed. “They would have been so homesick... and while Father does want us home, He wants us to be individuals, to 're-discover' ourselves. We're all so different, so unique, it just amazes us all when we find out He has always loved us, and was always there watching over us. And He misses us dearly, but knows that He will not interfere unless we want Him to.” She then turned to Mew, smiling at how awe-struck she was.

It took a few moments before the feline would speak. “Are... are we going through there?”

“Not yet.”

“Then... why'd we come here?”

“Being close to the world of the living, we have more access and chances of success to contact the still-living souls past here.” She giggled a little. “It's also a little thinner here, so chances are those who are gifted with spiritual eyes can see us.”

The Legendary frowned a little. “I've been starting to see spirits lately... before Legion possessed my body,” she remarked, glancing over. “Why is that? I never saw them before, so why now?”

Crossing her arms behind her back, she replied, “The world's quieter now. And the Spirit World welcomed in so many beings at once, the Veil kinda burst some seams.” The thought must have been humorous to her for she laughed. “It was bound to happen anyway. But everyone has the ability to see spirits, it's just that many of us are too... preoccupied to notice.”

Mew hung her head a little. “I could have sworn it had to do with clairvoyance...”

“In a way, it does. But you have these gifts for a reason.” Reaching out, the child lightly touched the surface, and in a single circular motion smoothed it out flat. Before their eyes, the texture changed into that of glass, and their reflections were clearly seen. Beckoning toward the mirror, she stated, “Look past your reflection if you want to see your friends.” Her voice lowered. “But remember not to talk to them... don't respond to them in anyway at all. Just look... and be still.”

She was confused and hesitant, but the Legendary obeyed, and she drifted to the front. Trying to resist staring at her bloody form, she searched around and concentrated at looking beyond. Though something in the back of her mind pointed out it was stupid, she quickly dismissed it. She remained quiet the entire time, becoming aware that everything was darkening. Then, in the depths, physical shapes dissolved in, crowded together. She slowly took in breath as the figures defined themselves into the Legendaries in mourning stances. They were all silent and refused to look at one another, choosing to stare off into space.

Though Mew didn't know how long she was gone for, she was astonished at how much they had changed. They were no different from before, but their expressions were very grave, and their bodies were covered with grievous wounds. None of them seemed to have attempted to stop the bleeding, nor even noticed their injuries. Very little tears were shed, the most were from Latias and Manaphy. For reasons unknown, a few were missing: Ho-oh, Lugia, Uxie, Azelf and Kyogre. Her heart went out to them, and she felt the gash on her arm throb.

It was then Darkrai lifted his head and made eye-contact. She felt her insides freeze up at how empty and pale his eyes were. Remembering Amber's statement of some of them being able to see her, and recalling how he was always close to spirits, she calmed down, even bringing a small smile to her lips. It was her way of telling him she was fine; there was no need to worry.

She expected him to raise himself off the ground, but she hadn't looked forward to him announcing “It's Mew, she's here!” to everyone.

They all raised their heads toward her direction, revealing, to her disbelief, empty eyes. All of them exclaimed her name, and rushed forward to crowd around her. Their manner of movement, however, did not excite her. They weren't sounding glad to see her, even though it was obvious they were worried. In a way, it was like they were apprehending her for her disappearance and for her behavior. Their voices blended into a cacophonous wail as they all expressed their feelings at once.

“Where have you been, we were looking everywhere for you!”

“What's the deal, eh?!”

“Are you still pissed about the whole 'replenishing the earth' task?”

“You scared us half-to-death with what you did to Celebi!”

“Where's Mewtwo, what have you done with him?!”

“You're hurt! What'd you do to yourself?!”

“We've wasted three days searching!”

“What the hell, Mew? What. The. Hell?”

“Why aren't you answering, Mew? Answer us!”

She remained in place, quaking under their harsh gazes and words, and feeling cold sweat trickle on her temples. They meant well, she knew that, it was the tone of voices that persuaded her otherwise. As they continued to gripe over her, she felt very uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to reassure them with her voice. Her throat closed up on her, and her teeth bit down on her lip to keep from breaking Amber's request. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes the longer she stared back at each of them, taking in their darkening expressions and ever-growing bitter words. Her hands had squeezed hard enough to tremble, causing the blood to stream out even faster down her arm.

“You're dead, aren't you, Mew?”

“Dead! That explains everything.”

“Explains the cut Celebi told us about, there it is!”

“She's not dead, or else we wouldn't see her.”

“Mew will save us, she's the key to our survival!”

“Save us? She can't even save herself!”

“No matter, we need her back! We need you back, Mew!”

And then they reached out for her, slipping past the mirror and grasping her shoulders. The icy vibes of their touches and dripping blood made her gasp, but also unfortunately release a scream of horror. She was seized from behind and pulled back into the hold of the girl, who began trying to calm her down.

Mew continued to cry out, struggling in a desperate attempt to flee. “OH, GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!”

“Mew, please calm down.”

“I HURT THEM, NEARLY KILLED THEM!”

“You didn't do anything to them.”

“THEY TURNED INTO MONSTERS BECAUSE OF ME!”

Amber dropped to her knees and squeezed the frightened Legendary into her. “It's not your fault, nothing about them has changed.”

“YOU DON'T KNOW THEM! YOU DON'T KNOW THEM!” She broke down into sobs, her movements receding to feeble twitches and shudders. Her arms fell limp as she continued to wail with every heart-clenching breath. The piercing tears burned her skin and scratches as they rained down, and both salty and bloody drops soaked into the dress. She continued to choke out words of hatred toward herself and lament for her friends.

Upon digging her fingers into her, she felt some comfort in the child rubbing her back. Feeling her head rest between her ears, she whispered, “They miss you a lot, Mew.”

The feline shook her head. “Y-Yeah... but not in that way,” she whimpered.

“But why would they act like that?” The girl looked down, no signs of anxiety on her face. She slightly envied how calm she was. “I don't get it... if they miss me so much... why were they talking about me like that?”

Amber simply shrugged. “They must have been so over-joyed, they couldn't think properly, maybe.”

“And their eyes... their bodies...” She pulled back for direct eye-contact. “Amber... what happened to them? Do you know?”

She didn't answer immediately until after she lifted up Mew's left arm for a closer inspection of her gash, and her shredded palm. “Legion brought back the Tree.”

Her eyes widened, gawking down at her injured hand like it was the plague. She knew the demon had been destroying her body, but how he did it wasn't known. The pain was so unbearable, she had stopped caring about her well-being. For all she knew, it was self-inflicted. However, the news about the Tree of Beginning being brought back threw her off. She figured Legion was taking his sweet time, or that it would have been months before he could find a way to restore it.

Gulping down a gasp, she breathed out, “What did he do to me?”

Lifting her eyes to lock visions, Amber solemnly stated, “You are running out of time. It's only a matter of hours now...”

She coughed lightly from improper breathing. “Hours? For what?”

“When the Tree is grown up, it'll feed off the aura available. But... it looks like your blood was used to bring it back.”

Mew involuntarily pulled her arm back. “What!”

Standing up, the young lass glanced back at the mirror. “You weren't the only one, though...”

Brows furrowing, she spun around for a look herself, and her hands shot up to her mouth in appall.

In the thick of the dark mist, huddling and clutching at his head, was Mewtwo. He looked like he had gone mad, rocking in place and digging into his face near the eyes as he muttered indecipherably to himself, though they could hear pitiful whimpers. He had many scratches on his figure, but it was hard to tell if they were intentional or by attack. Few were bleeding badly enough to leave a small puddle beneath him, staining him a deep pink. On closer inspection, she realized most of the blood-loss was from his chest on-up.

Shaking her head in disbelief, and gasping out quiet “no”s, Mew flew up to the mirror, pressing her hands to it in the hopes it would let her go through. When it didn't, she cried out “Mewtwo!”, gulping down her tears. “What's going on, what happened to you?!”

He made no motion he had heard her. She tried again, slapping repeatedly against the glass. “Mewtwo, look at me! I know you can hear me, so please, look at me!”

Still no response as he continued to stare blankly out in space.

Her paws clenched into tight fists, and she pounded hard on the mirror's surface. “MEWTWO, ANSWER ME, PLEASE!” she hollered, voice cracking in the process.

Amber pulled her back. “He can't hear you in this state.”

The feline jerked away and resumed her hammering. “MEWTWO!”

“Mew, you're only hurting yourself further—”

“DAMN IT, MEWTWO, WHY WON'T YOU TURN AROUND?!”

“Mew, listen—”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” she shrilled at the girl, tears flying from her eyes when she spun around. Her face was contorted in a mixture of rage and sorrow, sobs attempting to rip out of her throat.

Unfazed by her lashing out, Amber gave her calm response. “Mewtwo has closed himself off from all sorts of communication, though it may have been forced. He's torn between life and death.”

“Not possible!” Mew snapped. “He's strong-willed, he could never lower himself to such a thing!”

“Not unless he's been subjected to enough pain.”

“Wrong!”

Amber slightly dipped her chin in. “Mew... does he have a weakness?”

“No, what?! Weakness?! Mewtwo doesn't have a weakness that I—” She angrily shook her head. “He's the strongest Pokémon in the world! How can he have a weakness?”

Much to her dismay, the child smiled. “How do you know he hasn't developed one over the years?”

Mew held herself back from smacking her. She's just a child, she doesn't know better... Taking a deep breath, she enunciated, “He is the strongest Pokémon in the world. He cannot have a weakness.”

“Everyone has one, Mew... mainly on the inside.” She reached out and laid a hand lightly on her chest. The gesture left the Legendary breathless. “Mewtwo has a heart, right?”

“If he didn't he wouldn't be living, would he?”

Amber giggled a little. “I meant he has feelings, right?”

Swallowing, she nodded. “Yes... he always has...”

“How do you know?”

Glancing over her shoulder at her silent mate, she murmured, “If he wasn't angry, he showed a kind of fondness towards a lot of things. Though they were born out of a hatred for the world, he cares for his clones... like they were his family. When they separated... he told me he felt it was for their own good. He couldn't continue protecting them, but he couldn't keep them close by either. They needed their space... at the risk of being forever apart.”

“Is that his weakness?”

“...in a way...”

“Is there anything else?”

She took a breath. “Well... as time passed, he did show compassion for the human race, and other Pokémon. Most notably for me... he stopped wanting to kill me after we became friends.”

Clutching her hands, the girl pressured, “And you?”

Scrunching her eyes shut, Mew couldn't help but think back to Mewtwo's confession with Ho-oh. He had trembled from the thought of her and stuttered at the mention of her name. His spilling of his heart made her very own ache, and she had desperately then wanted to open it up to him. The unfortunate events that followed only postponed it. She had her chance when he was dreaming, but it was once more put on hold to make room for their passionate moment. Whether or not his heart was into it, hers surely was, and thankfully he had managed to feel it before their separation.

But... how much did it hurt him? How much did it take to break him?

Looking back up at the youngling, she whispered breathlessly, teary-eyed, “For God's sake, Amber... let him die. Look at him... he's been through enough. Legion's torn him apart in my absence. It's obvious he loves me with all his heart, but it's killing him. Please... fetch him and bring him here. He needs to be at peace.”

Though she had expected it, Amber shook her head. “It's not his time yet.”

“But it wasn't my time either, and yet here I am!”

“Mew, I told you you're not dead.”

“Neither is he!” she gasped out, gesturing toward Mewtwo. “But he at least didn't kill himself! Those wounds aren't of his doing,” she held out her arms, “unlike my doing! I deserved my punishment, he hasn't for his!”

Tearing her eyes away from the gashes, the young lass sighed. “Do you want to die, Mew?”

She stumbled at the question. “Wha... err... n-no... no, I don't. Not really...”

“So why do you want your mate to die and not you?”

Her hands clenched tightly, though she barely noticed. “I don't want him to suffer,” she growled out. “He's gone through a lot in his life. He has that small desire to die, he's expressed it before.”

Amber stepped forward to clasp the feline's small paws. “Mew... you don't want to die,” she reviewed, “but you want Mewtwo to die. This selfish wish of yours will only make your miseries worse. He wants to be with you, and you want to be with him. But if you are separated by the Veil for a longer period of time, your sadness will only grow. And... your love will die.” A solemn smile flashed for a moment. “While in time you both may find a new love, the special bond you two developed will be that ugly scar your new mate will forever see. It won't ever be as special, as pure, as this.” Kneeling, she retained her hold on Mew's hands as her eyes softened. “Can you feel it, Mew? Can you feel his pain? His sorrow? His love?”

The Legendary bit her lip when it quivered, an icy shiver extending from within her heart. She couldn't bring herself to verbally deny it, neither could she express that she felt it. Her pain had been strong enough to overcome it, though she knew the whole time of it all it hadn't been hers. While her wounds dulled in time, the throbs remained to be a constant reminder. However... the more she thought about it, it was only then she realized it wasn't physical, it was instead emotional.

A foreign, yet familiar emotional response...

“Mew...”

She turned around, quietly gasping at Mewtwo's tall figure beyond her reflection. His stance was shaky and hunched, the blood trickling down his form more freely. His wide-eyed violet gaze clenched her heart when their eyes met. Gingerly, he stepped forward, taking long, slow strides for the mirror, reaching out his hands in a pleading manner.

In an instant, Mew shot up, pressing her hands against the glass. “Stop!” she cried out. “Don't come any closer!”

He wordlessly obeyed, fingers barely touching the surface. He stared down at her, visibly pained at her rejection. She swallowed down the lump before shaking her head. “You can't come here, Mewtwo,” she choked out, feeling as though her heart was starting to break. “I-I won't let you.”

He dropped to his knees, trembling hands remaining stretched out. When he spoke, it just about ripped her in two like she feared. “Mew... I want to be with you...”

Her tears overflowed as she hung her head. “I know you do... but Mewtwo... you can't die.”

“I will not die—”

“Yes, you will!” Mew declared amidst her crying. “This side is the Spirit World! You pass through this mirror, you are going to die, and Legion will have won!” Her hands curled into loose fists as her levitation wavered. “A-And we won't be together. We'll be separated...”

“...Mew, we will still be together.”

“ARE YOU BLIND, MEWTWO?!” She pressed her wrists up against the mirror, smearing the blood around. “I KILLED MYSELF! I AM LITERALLY IN A PERSONAL HELL BECAUSE OF IT!” Demoted to pitiful wails, Mew pounded on the glass, wishing it would shatter to reunite them and cut herself up at the same time. “I'm a murderer! I can't be saved, because I took lives away before their time! I killed them, I killed them! They took my baby! My baby... she took my baby...”

Battered by sobs, she collapsed onto the floor. The horrid memory of her miscarriage returned, clearer than ever, recalling the massive pain of the baby being cut out of her. Then there was Bridget's sincere apology about the infant's death, and “Sir” demanding she be re-impregnated. The blinding rage couldn't conceal what she had done. She was aware of what she did to the scientists, every one of them, in gruesome detail. The pungent stench of blood that had excited her so, the pleasure of hearing their screams of torture was the end result of her becoming a monster. She had felt no sympathy for any of them until after the carnage when she was subjected to the hauntings of their memory.

And the near-death of her soul.

Unexpectedly, her paws were grasped and lightly squeezed, startling her back to reality. Mew quietly gasped and gazed wide-eyed up at Mewtwo, whose benevolent expression made her weep harder. She leaned upon the mirror, wanting his warm embrace, but accepting their interlocked hands all the same. The seemingly insignificant contact made her feel loved, the moment growing more intimate when he reached forward to brush away her tears; it was a silent gesture of forgiveness and understanding. She welcomingly tilted into his hold, grabbing onto his arm to keep it in place.

A look of longing transitioned into his eyes that very moment. Letting out a sad sigh, he muttered, “It was never your fault to begin with.”

She deeply frowned, burying half of her face into his palm. “How would you know, Mewtwo?” she murmured out, slowly shaking her head. “You don't have a clue as to how I feel right now.”

He gently pulled away from her grip to lay his fingertips on her chest. Her breath caught looking back at him. A small smile on his lips, Mewtwo lifted her chin up. “Then I propose we start opening up to each other about now.” The beam faltered. “It... may be our only chance.”

Mew dipped her chin back in, then glanced over her shoulder at Amber. The girl had moved back to give them space, and she grinned when they made eye-contact, waving in encouragement. Taking a breath, she looked back at her mate, and rose closer to his eye-level. She laid a hand on the glass where she would have touched his cheek, pressing her forehead against the cool surface.

“Mewtwo... what's the point? We're separated by life and death. In our positions, we should know each other by now. Well... I should, anyway... being a spirit and all.”

Surprisingly, he didn't appear to be disappointed at her response. He just reached through the mirror once again to cup her face. “I did not mean by that, Mew. Do you remember what happened a couple of days ago? The last time we were together?”

She bit her lip, nodding. “What are you getting at, Mewtwo?”

His hands slipped down to her shoulders. “There was something special about our last kiss. Legion knows about it, he said our kiss had such a high commitment, it was almost celestial. It was then we developed a bond within our hearts that allows us to feel each other's emotions. Do you know what I am talking about?”

Mew involuntarily placed a hand on her chest, eyes beginning to well up as she nodded vigorously. After a few hesitated breaths, she whispered out, “What does it mean?”

“I am unsure myself, though possibly we can renew it or strengthen it. It seems nearly impossible physically, but how about spiritually?”

She shivered a little. “Mewtwo, you're not suggesting we... you know?”

He rubbed her shoulders. “No, this is not the time nor place for that.” He thoughtfully ducked his head for a few moments. “Mew, honey...” Her heart leapt into her throat at the word, and she had that feeling his did as well when he struggled to continue. “...y-you know everything is in chaos, especially now that the Tree is back. Legion has weakened me in an effort to fulfill his plan. Our friends... I am speculating they are in a bad spot as well. And you... oh, Mew...” He wiped at the claw marks on her face, visibly choking back tears. “Where did we go wrong?”

Mew only shook her head. “It doesn't matter, Mewtwo... there's nothing we can do now.”

He tightened his hold, causing her to tense. “No... no, there has to be a way, I know there is.”

“Does it have to do with whatever it is you want us to do together?”

“Probably not. But in the long-run... at least we will be together.”

She wavered in her levitation, supporting herself beside the mirror. “Mewtwo, if it means coming over here, my answer's still 'no',” she moaned, a little disappointed. “I can't have you die like this.”

The corners of his mouth upturned briefly. “It has nothing to do with death, I promise.”

Suddenly, there was a reverberating twang in her heart, spreading throughout her body that left her breathless and trembling. Their gazes fully locked, and the tears trickled down. Acting on her own accord, Mew flattened up against the glass, lips scarcely touching the surface. Mewtwo slid a shaky hand behind her head as he leaned forward, slipping through to brush a tender kiss to her mouth. Just as they made contact, the tiny Legendary felt herself fall into him, enabling her to wrap her arms around his neck in response.

Once they touched, it felt like a fire seared to live throughout their bodies. The surprise of it all jumpstarted their breathing, and when they gasped in unison, they meshed together to keep steady, gripping the other tightly in reaction and resuming the kiss. Immediately, Mew could feel the aches of her wounds acting up due to the quickening beats of their hearts, but she unheeded them. Almost like it was second nature, she opened up further to exchange part of her soul.

It was then she could feel rising inside him the urge to press her onto a flat surface and have his way with her. His hands were twitching against her body as the carnal desire raced through his veins, a deep groan in his chest. She quickly grasped his shoulders, shaking her head while remaining glued to his lips. She held him in high expectation for keeping his promise, not wanting to easily give it up. The clone quietly moaned in return, and as his trembling slowly receded, slipped up a hand to brace her neck as the passion softened.

And then she gave a plea from the bottom of her heart. There was nothing pitiful about it, neither a spur of the moment or a well-thought-out line. It wasn't even physical, yet it felt like she expelled into his mouth and throughout his core. She didn't know if it would reach him, if at all.

Don't leave me.

To her utmost surprise, almost momentarily, he paused above her with shallow breaths and the taste of tears—her tears—on his lips. Mew let out a muffled mewl, trying to dam up the rest of her tears as she quivered under his touch. In a reluctant move, he broke the kiss with a slow sigh. As she took a breath, her eyes opened to find him hovering over her, irises the brightest she had seen them. He lovingly ran a thumb down her cheek, swiping away the fluids, and swallowing a lump in his throat.

“I can never leave you, Mew,” he quietly uttered, his forehead rested against hers. “I am always with you... as long as we can feel one another here,” and he gestured to her heart.

She blinked in amazement up at him before she gave him a tiny smile. “It worked...”

He chuckled lightly. “Indeed.” He then winced slightly, his hands clenching, and reluctantly released her. “I hope you will find a way back, Mew. We need you.”

Mew nodded, still feeling light from the bonding. “I know... I'm sure I will, though. I never would have found my way here, honestly.” She gave a giggle, wiping at her eyes. “I'm just so thankful I was found.”

Mewtwo rose his brows, looking over her shoulder. “Found by whom? Are they here?”

She paused, glancing back at Amber, who hadn't moved from her spot, still with her trademark smile. While it saddened her that the clone possibly couldn't see her, she remembered that she couldn't fully see him beyond the mirror, either. Deeply inhaling, Mew verbally expressed, “A little angel who led me back to you.” She spun back around to see him crack a smile at her statement, making her flush. “It is the Spirit World, after all.”

“Will this angel know how to bring you back to us?”

“I'm sure. She's very well informed.”

Pleased about her answer, Mewtwo reached in to caress her face and touch foreheads once more. “I love you, Mew,” he breathed out, a soft light in his eyes.

Mew extended a hand to touch his cheek, only to find the mirror had regenerated itself between them. Taking a breath to steady herself, she went ahead to resort taking his hand, closing her eyes. “I love you, too... Mewtwo...”

He squeezed her paw before pulling away, leaving an impression behind. She didn't dare look back up until she felt a hug from behind. She was met with the sight of their reflections, and nothing more.

They were silent for a while until the feline finally found her voice. “Amber... will I be able to return home... to my body?”

The girl nodded. “You will.”

“When?”

She tightened the embrace. “Very soon. Just give them a chance to discover themselves again.”

Mew blinked in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

Amber giggled. “While they can't defeat their enemy, they can at least escape by means of being themselves.”

She understood enough she went ahead to question on another topic of interest. “How much of Mewtwo did you see... by the way?”

A dreamy smile appeared on the child's face, her gaze almost that of a far-away look. “Enough to know he's how I've always seen him... and that he loves you very much.”

Mew frowned slightly, turning her back on the mirror. “Amber, do you know why it was Mewtwo and I were able to be together like that?” She fiddled with her fingers. “Um... you saw it, right? The mirror seemed to have let me through... or it disappeared or something...”

Looking back up, she was taken aback at how puzzled Amber was herself. “To be honest, Mew, that has never happened before, that I know of.” She shrugged with a laugh. “But it's not common either. You two have transcended death itself of that of a celestial status.”

A chill ran up her spine. “What... exactly does that mean?”

She took her hands, and happily explained, “You and Mewtwo are life-mates, even after death. You helped strengthen and renew that bond, didn't you feel it? A burning feeling?” Her smile widened at Mew's shocked expression, eyes sparkling with joy. “Excuse me for being so excited over it, it was the first time I saw a couple being sealed together. Personally, anyway.”

The Legendary could hardly believe what she heard, but the peaceful, warm sensation deep inside her was testifying of it otherwise. It had been so overwhelming, she could hardly handle it herself. Even Mewtwo had been struggling throughout it. Strangely enough, however, she could have sworn it was circulating through them both the entire time so they shared the same amount... and the same emotions and pain. She had felt that very lust creeping up inside of him, threatening to repeat itself. She herself could barely fight it off with her love, and begged for a release. He had heard her, for no sooner had it manifested itself it was repelled.

It was then she knew he truly loved her, and she wanted nothing more than for them to always be together. She didn't want him to leave, but knew in her heart that their current conditions would have made it impossible without consequences. As much as it hurt, she had been at peace, like she knew everything would be okay from then on, no matter what happened.

Her thoughts and heart set on Mewtwo's wellbeing, Mew felt once more the great pain and sorrow crying out from his depths, along with a plea for death. However, there was also his love for her, his desire to keep her pure no matter what Legion was going to throw in his way. There was a growing hope in his heart that she would return, rekindling his will to live. Despite everything the demon had crushed to reach his soul, it was that love and their new special bond he could never take away.

Amber.... where did you get that name from? I feel like I have heard that before...
Anyway this was a very heart-pulling chapter. Keep up the good work!

Sprite of Brendan created by ~GloomyDayze, sprite of Red originally created by Da-Suspect (Who has vanished from existence, just like Red did...), and the sprite which is a mix between Lyra and Jasmine, I created, myself. The other two I edited for resemblance to my Trainers, Terry and Forme, respectively.

(Muah ha ha ha, excellent. Things are going as planned.) It'll be answered next chapter. It would have been answered fully, but I couldn't seem to fit it in this chapter... for whatever reason... and I was looking forward to it, too. (hangs head)

Thanks, I'm so relieved that it is xD. I was kinda rushing through it at the end, I was worried I was going off track. But I'm just glad I did what I promised about this chapter. That's one thing off my chest, lol.

That was one hell of a chapter. So, now we have Mew released from Legion's possession (Exorcist anyone?), Mewtwo winning the Psychological Warfare with Legion (I assume that's the end of Legion's mind games), and the legendaries are trying to fight off a hoard of undead (or Redeads. I couldn't tell).

Ehh, you're half-right. Mew's not free from Legion's possession, but she's no longer in isolation. The mind games aren't over, and "trying" turned to "failed".

I'm actually thinking about writing one of these days. I have a story in mind (of course it'd be a romance ), but I'm pursuing a career in film and video. But I hear that a lot of authors are writers on the side, lol. As much as I love writing, my passion's more for drawing, so I may write a book or two, but I'd more likely make mangas (again, of course) if I end up not being an author in that way. ...though I hear there are classes on how to draw manga... and I'm not in graphic design anyway...

Ah well. Anyway, enough about that, thanks for the encouraging review, I appreciate it ^^.

it's a HAPPY CHAPTER! I'm so glad. There hasn't been a single happy chapter so far. But now I'm all bubbly.
So the other legends are cuurently on their way to Legion, as they were at the end of the previous chapter, Mew has hope for escaping and being truly reunited with Mewtwo and the others, and Mewtwo is learning NOT to succumb to his desires. Happy all around. Yay for people.
As always, great chapter (I swear a say that exact bit EVERY time), keep up the good work!

Aslynn♥Pokemon: XD I'm happy that it was a hopeful chapter as well. There always is light in darkness, it just takes time to getting used to x3.

The other Legendaries never knew of this Legion beforehand. All they knew was that Mew was not acting herself, and they wanted to go look for her and Mewtwo. Instead, they're being taken to Legion. How it'll end up, we'll just wait and see.

Thanks for the review!

Hikaru 2000: Thank you, I'm happy the chapter did its job. I was hoping it would. I'm glad to have seen your review (not that I didn't like Aslynn♥Pokemon's, I love hers as well), it's helped lighten up some stress that's creeping up on me at the moment.

Onward, ever onward! We're reaching the climax, if it's not already upon us, which signals that this story is getting ready to round the corner and find the finish line up ahead. Thanks again for sticking with me thus far!

Word of warning: this chapter is brutal. I couldn't believe it myself when I decided on it (though the research wasn't mind-scarring like with chapter eleven).

It was one of the quietest areas of the Tree, albeit its emptiness. Some time back, however, Mewtwo had been subjected to the physical part of Legion's punishment in that very room, and it was filled with much unrest. He wasn't forced to partake in any sexual activities, but he had to be harmed. The bodily torture was painful, and it resulted in more damage to his mental stability, intentionally or not. The demon had laughed the entire time, relishing in the bloodshed and risking mortally injuring him.

And the mind control.

He could barely remember it all except that the loss of his will was terrifying. He had been forced to cut himself up, to taste the last moments of his beloved, so he was told. Horrible images were presented to him the entire time, everything from his past, his friends, his enemies, and Mew. Many were genuine, and even though he knew others were false, they were easily believed. He briefly remembered screaming throughout it, he just wasn't sure if it was vocal or silent. Legion may have heard it in its entirety, the shattering of his mind, and the pain was quick to dull when he was released. With the promise of “more on the way”, the clone had been left in his own pool of blood, barely conscious and a shadow of his former self.

How long he was out for, he didn't know. Mewtwo just knew he wished for his death, wanting an end to the hell he was in. He may have passed out, for all he could remember was being in a black abyss with nowhere to escape to, reliving the horrendous moments. For a long moment, he was sure he had gone insane, his mind broke even further, and the desire for endless sleep was growing.

And then... he had heard her call his name.

He had told himself he was imagining it, and tried to ignore its increase in tone. And when he couldn't take it, he made himself look over, to find Mew with her back facing him. He didn't want to believe it, thinking it was all in his head. But the longer he stared, the more life-like she had looked, and he risked it all to say her name.

She may not have responded positively at first, but she soon opened up to him. His heart had ached the entire meeting in finding her in worse position than he, and he wanted nothing more than to be with her, and give her comfort. Dream or not, he didn't care then, just as long as they were together. Even when she showed him her still-bleeding wounds and sobbed about her grievous sin, he still desired for her.

It was then Mewtwo recalled a previous memory, their last moment together, and the demon's own commentary on it. Legion had mentioned it was the most special of their kisses, in that it was binding—“almost celestial” as he had put it. It had opened up their hearts, enabling a connection between them to grow. And upon remembering it, he had begun to feel her bitter anguish toward herself, at what she had done. It deeply tore at his very core to know she suffered for it. He couldn't bear to see her in pain any longer, yet the only relief he had assured her with was to open her own heart for him. It was all he believed he could do for her in that place.

...her heart and soul was in her kiss, he had felt it all. Mew was the most realistic being he had ever touched; from her sinuous form to her hot breaths, to her fluttering heartbeats pounding against his chest—she only became more alive the longer he held her. He had wanted more, to satiate the long-term desires, but she had put all her trust in him. He made the decision not to and cast it from his mind, and she was grateful for it. If anything, it was the final key to her heart, and she entrusted it to him. The two had never felt more at peace with one another than that moment. They were hesitant to let each other go upon returning to where they belonged.

For some time now, Mewtwo just stared at the crystals, faint but alive. It was a slow regaining of consciousness that left him heavy and light at once. The sacred event he had with Mew was still perceptible, and yet he wondered in aside if it was a dream. There could have been no way he would have run into her and experienced such a spiritual moment. He had been told this entire time by Legion she was dead, rotting in Spirit Prison for her sins. However, he had been told by Mew herself he shouldn't believe everything he was told. But how could he be sure this wasn't one of his dreams, a string of events that was leading up to his consummation with his counterpart? And if it was real... did that mean he had died?

It was unlikely. For all he knew, he might have just been on the edge of death. It seemed more likely that if he ever did give up the ghost, the demon would be right behind him to pull him back.

With it being left on that note, the clone cautiously lifted himself up to sit back against the wall, wincing at the aches and stings of his wounds. The blood dripped down from his body like thick rain, leaving behind a gunky feeling against his fine fur. He found himself struggling to breathe, his muscles tensing up so they left him trembling, and his vision was starting to falter—unless the crystals were too bright of a red on the eyes. He had to blink several times to get adjusted to the aura glows, and he thanked his lucky stars he could still see.

He had enough strength to pull himself away from the bloody puddle, and then slumped back to stare anxiously at the exit straight across. He judged it was only several feet away from the size of the room. It just was in his reach, he could bring himself to crawl and he'd be outside in a few moments. As much as his brain screamed at him to take the chance and escape, he couldn't find the will to do it. Whether it was because of the poor state he was in, or because he feared what was beyond the room, he himself didn't know. Though he had that feeling he wasn't supposed to even step foot outside without permission...

“Did you wake up yet, dear?” he heard Mew's voice call from the hallway. The tone sent a shiver down his spine. “I could have sworn you have if the crystals are glowing nicely again.”

The way she entered into the chamber made him wish he had remained unconscious. A hand rested lazily on a hipbone, and when she moved, she seductively swung said-hips, her tail bobbing in rhythm. The worst feature, however, was how disturbingly calm her face was, a sly smile on her lips and eyes peering at him from beneath her eyelids. She paused before Mewtwo, studying him carefully before darting her vision over to the bloodstain. A frown creased her brows, and she crossed her arms, resting a hand under her chin.

“What a shame,” she sighed nonchalantly. “It is never going to come out. But no matter, I will just have the bed placed there. We will forget about it eventually.”

The psycat shifted uncomfortably. “What bed?” he muttered.

“Did I not tell you? This will be our bedchamber, to be the main place of conceptions and births of our beautiful children.”

As much as he wanted to speak out against it, Mewtwo ended up instead blurting out, “I thought the Heart was to be our room.”

“I never said that. But I want to be in there until after the birth of our firstborn. Speaking of which...” Mew floated down to wrap her arms around his neck. “What shall we call our first child? It has to be special, to show his heritage.”

“It may turn out to be a girl,” he added on his own accord.

He wished he kept his mouth shut when a fanged smirk gleamed, constricting his heart further. “Impossible. The heir is always male. But just to be on the safe side, I will make sure the firstborn is male.” Her tail drooped down to rest against his lower abdomen, and he tensed up. “I would hate to do it since it might halt your activity, but if it needs be, I shall do it.” Glancing down, she briefly rubbed the bulbous end alongside his inner thigh, causing him to tremble. “Unfortunately, Mewtwo, if you are as sterile as you claim you are... well, let me just say you better pray for mercy on the other side.”

He braced himself against the wall, gritting his teeth. “What are you... what are you getting on?” The fondling below increased, and he had to choke back a gasp. “What are you doing?”

“I am just doing a 'test run' to make sure. I just want to see, is that all right with you, dear?” She moved into him, brushing light kisses against his parted lips. He moaned out a few “no”s before she silenced him by biting his mouth. He flinched at the intensity, feeling helpless by this time. “You cannot fight it,” she murmured into him, only worsening his dilemma. “You are hopelessly drawn to her. It is only a matter of time now,” she briefly pulled away, pressing her forehead against his, “before you surrender to me.”

He shook his head, taking in a couple of breaths before countering, “It may be Mew's body... but you are not her. I cannot love the body if I do not love the spirit.”

Scowling, she dug her claws into his cheeks. “We shall see, then,” she challenged. “We shall see what holds up in the end: the heart, or the body.”

“It will not matter,” he hissed out. “Dead or alive, my heart will always be with Mew.”

Legion let out a breathy chuckle. “You are so pitiful now. I guess I must have gotten carried away, since you are no fun anymore.” Mewtwo only chose to glare back the best he could, fighting to cease his squirming. It made her laugh harder. “Not even the world's most powerful Pokémon can resist the necessities of the body. Now you have to fight two at once.” Then she leaned forward and clamped down on his lips, slowly running the tip of her tongue upon the soft flesh.

The clone shuddered under the sensuality of it, barely catching himself from gasping. She made no effort to push herself through his teeth as she teased around his mouth's edge, ghosting her fingers along his neck. The actions brought out more protests from him where half wanted to join in, while the other refused and wanted her gone. He made the attempt to push her off only for her to latch on further and bring out a moan as she sucked on his lips. He was aware the strokes of her tail were causing him to steadily return a kiss, to get him used to her seduction. He was unfortunately still weak, and he was growing more relaxed the harder and longer the petting lasted. It came to the point all he could do was mutter a string of “no”s and feebly move his head around.

That was when he thought of Mew. Sweet, innocent Mew... her lips the taste of virginal rain, her kisses deliciously slow with the hint of passion, her touches gingerly running electricity through his skin as she memorized his form... How many times has he dreamed of the night they became one... where her eyes took on the night sky, and her body radiated a glow of moonlight? He had them since their first kiss, never going further than pressing their bodies against the ground as she gasped his name. He yearned for that day, but feared it all the same. He questioned it, even himself, about its nature. Was it trying to tell him something? Did it have anything to do with love? With lust?

He wondered if she was feeling the same emotions on the other side, struggling with her own desires. Though how could she, why would she have the same problems as he? If anything, she would be more worried about his condition than whether-or-not she wanted him. Sex had to be the last thing on her mind; she was pure like that. If he loved her because of that, why was he unable to control himself?

It was then Mewtwo realized he had let his guard down for too long (though it was most likely because Legion broke his mental walls). He didn't know if he was still in control of his own body or not, all he knew was he was beginning to enjoy it, pulling Mew's body closer and running his hands about her curves. She let out a sigh—or a breathy chuckle, he couldn't tell—intensifying the kiss as she tilted her body against him. She then grabbed a hand and slipped it below her, encouraging a finger to roughly rub. Mewtwo fidgeted, somehow unable to remove his intrusive paw as he was forced to caress her womanhood. Even when she let him go, he found himself unable to stop, his temperature rising swiftly enough to cause his body to quake and breaths to quicken. She moaned into his lips before she parted and leaned back. With his other hand, he supported her neck and brushed his mouth against her throat. And then his fingers found an opening—

“Lord Legion, I have arrived with the Legends—am I interrupting something?”

The clone fell back in response to look over at the newcomer, eyes widening. Standing at the entrance was a full-grown male human, staring at the two with a raised brow and what may have been a dumbfounded expression on his face. Mew opened her eyes, leering at him.

“Not in its entirety,” she huffed, “but it does not matter, now that you are here.” A frown then creased her brows as she scanned him. “Why are you naked?”

He glanced down at himself, then shrugged. “This was how the body regenerated.”

“You could have picked up some clothing.”

“No one seems to care much. Though one of the idiotic Legends commented about it. Said it made him feel—”

“That will do, Jediah,” she growled, rolling her eyes.

The man pouted. “But he made me feel uncomfortable with myself.”

“I said, that will do.” She wriggled free from Mewtwo's loose grip, then smirked over at him. “By the way, I do not believe you have met Mewtwo, have you?”

The human only shot a glimpse at him before bowing. “Sir, we have captured the Legendaries like you had asked.”

“Ah, yes! I had gotten so lost in the moment, I nearly forgot you were coming.” The clone shivered, dropping his gaze. She silently laughed and invited, “Well, what are you waiting for? Send them in!”

Jediah moved to hurry out of the room, then looked around the tiny chamber. “Er... there is a small problem.”

Her eyes flashed. “What?” she snarled.

He and Mewtwo flinched, and he quickly rephrased himself. “N-Not like that, Legion—sir! It is more like size problems! Many of them are too big to come inside. So everyone is waiting out in that lovely field the Tree had graciously made. It has a beautiful view, have you seen it?”

“Stop getting off topic, why did you not mention this in the first place?” Scoffing, Mew just waved her paw. “I am not going to bother wasting my anger out on your idiocy. Just lead us there.”

With a nervous nod, he slipped away. She turned around to face her captive, raising him up with her telekinesis. He struggled to regain balance until she laid her hands on his chest, freezing him in place. A smirk spread from ear-to-ear, a sick excitement illuminating up her eyes.

“Come along, darling. Let us show everyone how happy we are together.” Then her voice dropped to a sultry purr. “We will pick it back up later... if you behave in front of our guests.” Digging her claws deep into his barely-scabbing palm, she dragged him off smiling like a maniac.

It seemed no matter what corners they turned, or what tunnels they entered, everything was the same—though it may have been because the lighting was so red. The crystals were hauntingly beautiful, but as it was his blood that helped bring them to life, it only frightened him. He wondered if it was still draining him, if it ever greedily soaked in any droplets that he bled on them. And if it did, wouldn't he be weaker than he is now despite Legion's claims of keeping him alive longer? Mewtwo desperately tried to take his mind off it with little success. There was hardly anything else to think of besides how his friends were holding up. He was being honest with himself in that he was nervous about seeing them. While he did miss them, he didn't want to know what happened in their captures.

Legion couldn't wait to show him, as the grin suggested.

The light was jarring on the eyes the moment they stepped outside, but only he reacted to it. Once he grew used to it, he was amazed and horrified at how accurate the new Tree was to its old design. With the exception of the crystals being blood-red, it was an exact copy of a casual field that had once thrived inside the Tree. The vegetation was perfectly healthy, the lake clean and sparkling, even the sky seemed to be blue from here. As typical as it was, what made it more unnerving was how full of life this very area was. Pokémon that had died months ago were roaming around like nothing had ever happened, holding friendly conversations and just nonchalantly frolicking throughout the field. If Mewtwo hadn't known better, he would have thought he had just been dreaming the entire time and now just woke up, Mew pulling him along possibly to play a game of tag or whatever she was in the mood for.

It would have been the case had he not noticed his fellow Legendaries huddling in the midst of it all. He silently gasped the closer he got, feeling his spirit sink at the sight of their grievous wounds. From the looks of it, there was no way they could still hold themselves up. For the most part, them being bunched up was what kept them stable. Though what made it all worse was the fear visibly present in their eyes and tremblings. Many were on the verge of tears (Latias and Manaphy were the typical ones to be sobbing), while the others tried desperately to hold them back.

It about broke his heart when they spotted him and could only stare at his current state, some slowly shaking their heads in awe. His hand flinched when Mew's claws punctured deeper into his palm. She paused directly before them, a sly smirk on her lips as she took her time scanning them, and intimidating them with her presence. It didn't take long before one of the Legendaries spoke up.

Legion seemed a little displeased. “You are still breathing before a demon lord, and all you have to say is 'thank God'?”

A noticeable wave of shivers ran through the crowd when they all made eye-contact. “Mew... oh good Lord...” Cresselia gasped, slightly pulling away from Darkrai's hold. “What happened to you? And Mewtwo... what's going on?”

“Do you wish to find out so soon, goddess?” The bitter tone made the phantom protectively bring her back behind him. It made Mew scoff. “Of course. It is unlikely of you to leave her in harm's way. For if one dies, the other has no purpose in life. But if they both live, they are forever conflicted with one another. How you two looked past the other's flaws still eludes me. Perhaps you would like to explain?”

Darkrai gritted his teeth, his hands clenching. The lunar swan reached forward to grasp one of them, peering at Mew with a worried look. “Mew, why are you doing this? Can't you see you're scaring us?”

She barked out a laugh. “I just love teasing you, Cresselia, dear! Is that not what friends are for? Your relationship is no different from ours, am I right, honey?” she smirked over at the clone, who only glanced away.

Giratina glimpsed down at the ghoul before looking back at Mew. “Who are you?” he growled out. “What have you done to Mew?”

“Ah, about time someone acknowledged me!” she cried out in mock glee. “And by Giratina, no less! It would be apparent you would recognize my presence. You have been on my case lately, have you not?”

His scarlet eyes slowly widened. “You... it was you I was sensing the entire time?”

Mew let out a light cackle.

“Explain, Mew!” Celebi shouted out, wincing when he jerked an arm. Mewtwo swallowed the moment he looked at it, knowing it was very out of place. Mesprit cried upon catching sight of it herself. “You have worried us these past few days about your whereabouts! What happened here? Why is the Tree alive again? Wh... Why are we here?”

She tilted her head, grinning widely. “You should know who I am by now,” she quietly said through her teeth, “and that Mew is no longer with us.”

Latios held his sister closer before speaking out. “Mew, you're unwell! You have neglected yourself for too long! Look at yourself! Look at Mewtwo, I mean... my God, Mew! What is the meaning of this?!”

“To show you no mortal, no matter how powerful he claims to be, is immune to my power!” she screamed, roughly throwing Mewtwo to the ground. The Legendaries gasped, and some spouted out swears. “This has what become of your strongest in a measly three days! All of you combined can never withstand what he has gone through! You would have gone mentally insane by the day's end!”

The psycat had little strength in him, and could only glance pitifully up at his fellow brethren from where he lay. They were all horrified, and most found themselves weeping, looking away. He closed his eyes himself to avoid their gazes, ducking his head, praying for rest. He was denied it when Legion pulled him up to his knees by the cord.

At the corner of his eye, he saw a threatening glint, whether it was her teeth, eyes, or even blood, he couldn't tell. He was afraid to look, but also afraid to speak out. Tears obscured his vision when she squeezed harder. “Say something,” she hissed in his ear. “It is not that difficult to say 'Mew and I are mates', now is it?”

Breath stuck in his throat, he just shook his head, silently begging for a release. Growling, she shoved him over. “You are pitiful, Mewtwo! You would snap at me about your undying love for Mew, and yet you cannot even announce it to your friends! I would think they should at least get that much out of you before they die!” He only shivered, hands loosely curling into fists. “So... you are giving us all the silent treatment, then. Very well. But I want you to watch as I slowly rip your friends apart one by one. You are free to express yourself at anytime. It will only emotionally scar them further!” Snapping her head up at the shrinking Legendaries, her face faltered. She scanned them a few times, eyes widening in astonishment. “I only count twenty-six.”

She gestured to the confused group, refusing to look at him. “Explain everything in the most honest tone you can manage, so that I may not decide to rip your temporal body apart, and prohibit you from being in my presence ever again.”

He paled, and twiddled with his thumbs. “Well, sir... we were at their gathering spot at Cherrygrove like you had said they were in,” he slowly prattled off. “They put up a good fight, but they had grown weak over the months, so we had the advantage. We tried our hardest not to kill them, of course, though some have gotten injured—okay, all of them got injured, but not too life-threatening for the most part. Er... we had problems transporting them over here, especially since most of them woke up in the middle of it... I am just as surprised as you are that we got them all here in one piece—why are you looking at me like that, sir?” he then squeaked.

His mouth suddenly formed an “O”, eyes widening as he slowly turned to the Legendaries. He carefully counted each of them, then tensed up, throwing his hands up to his face. “Oh dear... L-Lord Legion, sir, I admit it was an honest mistake! We were just doing what you ordered us to, w-we did not know there would be some missing! B-But rest assured, we will find them!”

“YOU BETTER FIND THEM, OR YOU WILL TAKE A SWIM IN THE LAKE OF FIRE!” Legion hollered at him, startling everyone within hearing range, chasing off the Pokémon that had been oblivious to them. Mew's face was contorted into intense rage, and her claws deeply pierced her palms, the skin nearly peeling off when she stretched out her fingers. “Find those bastards, and I will consider a lesser punishment for you, if at all! This goes for all those who went with this fool! Do not fail me again!”

Immediately, the humans and Pokémon involved sped for the exit, Jediah in their wake. The field was nearly empty when the commotion was over with, an unnatural silence following afterwards. No one dared to move or verbally cry, having been frightened to near-death. They could only stare at the demon, fully convinced this was not the Mew they knew. When she swerved her head back to them, they wished their hearts would stop.

“You got very... very lucky,” she dangerously murmured, eyes penetrating into their souls. “I promised Mewtwo I would kill you all, but as it seems there are quite a few of you missing.” She sneered down at the clone, who still averted his eyes from her. “Unfortunately for you all... I do not wish to let this moment go to waste. I only brought us out of our bedchamber so he could witness your deaths.”

The Legendaries shifted uncomfortably where they stood, some whimpered softly at the statement. Smirking, Mew floated over to a crystal and laid her hand on it. It illuminated, and she pulled out many long, thin, flexible spires from its depths. Draping them across her arm, she isolated a few and plaited them, repeating it until nine pieces of crystallized rope were made. They then watched as she straightened them in a clenched hand and slowly dipped them into the depths. Breaths caught in their throats as they watched her pulled back to reveal a sleek handle. They felt the terror grip their hearts as she swung it around a few times. With a side glance at them, she flipped it upside-down, and let the loose strands slip into the spire. She left it inside a few moments longer, then slowly lifted them up.

Their blood ran cold at the sight of spikes littering the ends of the leash.

Stroking it, Legion chuckled out, “I find it blood-curdling as well, but I am also fond of it. Many a grown man has feared this punishment. Flogging is really only reserved for severe punishment, and even then, they have a limit on it.”

“...what does this have to do with us?” Palkia asked in a worried tone.

She wickedly grinned. “Each of you will be given a certain number of lashes depending on size. Someone of Mew's size may get no more than five, however... for those of gargantuan size, forty shall be the maximum. Unless you still show some strength left, then I may take it to forty-five. But then again... I may just need a bigger whip.” She snickered through her teeth, rubbing one of the spikes.

Latias held tight to Latios and wailed. “Mew, why are you doing this?! We're your friends!”

Mew swung the whip in her direction, intentionally striking the ground before her, though it was enough to make her shriek and shrink back. “Mew is not here, how many times do I have to repeat myself?!” she snarled, levitating closer. “Do I have to beat it into your heads before you get it?!”

There came a cough from Mewtwo as he struggled to pull his weight up. “Legion... they do not know any better,” he panted out, meeting the pallid icy eyes.

“So, you finally decided to speak!” she spat with a glare. “There is nothing you can do for them now.”

“L-Legion,” he croaked out again, his chest heaving, “I beg of you... leave them out of this... This is only between you... a-and I.”

A slow, evil grin lit up on her face. “Prove it. Stand and look me in the eye, and tell me why I should spare them.”

He glanced down at the trailing whips, shivering at the gleam they gave off. He couldn't help but imagine it coated in his friends' blood, hearing the whistles and clinking it would make whenever it would swing... the pained screams of mercy... Taking in a few breaths, he steadily pushed himself up to his knees, elbows quaking under pressure. The strain proved too much as he fell forward, the Legendaries quietly gasping.

A cruel laugh ripped its way out of Mew's throat. “I thought so.” Then she turned to face her captives. “Who shall be the first, I wonder?” she mused, making her way down the line, bringing those in the front to tears. Her eyes suddenly snapped down to a whimpering Manaphy, and her grin glinted. “How about you, sweet Prince?”

He squealed a “No!” when she snatched him by the arm and dragged him out to the open, ignoring the protests of the other Legendaries. Those in the front moved to grab him only to be held back by a barrier, which they proceeded attempting to break through it. Mewtwo snapped his head up at the young Pokémon's cries, shaking his head. She tossed Manaphy before her and lifted him up with her telekinesis, forcing his arms to stretch out beside him. Mew then lifted the whip, dangling it behind his neck to check the distance, then backed away. With a smirk, she raised the weapon above her head.

She glanced over, still poised. Everyone looked over at him, holding their breaths, the Seafaring Legendary doing so over his shoulder with a pleading gaze. He hung his head for a few moments, biting his lip. “Please... let them go. They know nothing of what has been happening the past few days. They do not know where Mew is, nor do they know our situation. All they did was come look for Mew and I, that is all.”

He swallowed down a lump, easing his way to his feet. “Legion... your plan does not involve them. Why tell them anything if you are going to kill them anyway? You are putting them through pain and emotional suffering before you end their lives. I do not wish death on my friends... but if you do end up killing them, I do not want it slow and painful. You already put Mew and I through it, I do not want anyone else to experience it.”

Legion remained silent, lowering the whip. Mewtwo felt a little relief at the sight, but he didn't lower his guard. Taking a quick look at the Legendaries, he continued, growing more confident as he spilled out his emotions. “In response to all the questions I have refused to answer: nothing you do or say... will keep me from loving Mew. Even if you drag me to the ends of the earth, down to the depths of Hell and beyond... I shall never, ever deny it. How can I? The same goes to them... my peers, my friends... I am not that of hate, not anymore. If anything... I-I am grateful to them, in some form or another.” He breathed out a chuckle, weakly smiling up at them. “I am so glad... they were worried about Mew and I. That I am content with...”

Turning to the demon, he brought himself to take a wobbly step forward. “Do what you will to me, Legion... I do not care anymore. You have beaten my body, and my will into such submission, I lack the strength to fight you.” As though to prove his point, when he advanced again, he dropped to his knees. “Bruise me, enslave me, torture me... kill me, I do not care. But please, let them go. Let Mew go... Whether you release her to her body or to her death... it does not matter anymore, for we cannot be separated by death. Just please... let them go.”

It was silent for a few moments after he finished. He felt better for getting it off his chest, even in front of the Legendaries, and he was sure Legion was having second thoughts. However, when Mewtwo took a closer look, he noted at how dark Mew's face grew. Her wide eyes glowered at him from beneath her brows, lips curled into a sneer, and her ears were flattened against her skull. She dug her fingers into the crystalline handle as she slowly took a long, deep breath, and broke eye-contact to crack the whip against Manaphy's back.

The flogging had happened so quick without warning, the tiny Legendary had no time to scream out in pain. His jaw dropped in a inaudible gasp as his eyes nearly bugged out, and that was it. Not even the Legendaries could bring themselves to verbally exclaim, they just watched in total awe as she executed a second time around. He then managed to strain out a cry on the third stripe, inducing Latias to shrill out “Leave him alone, please!”, pounding on the barrier.

The clone was very taken aback at Legion's actions, flinching whenever the whip contacted with the Prince's body. While the others screamed at him to show mercy, he could only mentally count the number of strikes being delivered. He hoped it would end at five like promised, but it only continued without a moment's pause. While he couldn't see the inflicting damage directly, the amount of water splattering to the ground—though upon closer inspection, it was thick and a darker blue—was enough of a visual to show the demon was growing out of control.

Eight... nine... ten flogs passed, and still no signs of slowing. Manaphy's voice was steadily becoming strained from his tortured cries, his body slumping in place. On the twelfth, judging by the horrendous wails and when the whip was forcibly snapped back, one of the spikes had gotten stuck, and snapped off. Mewtwo's stomach churned, and he clutched at his head, dropping his gaze to the grass before him.

No more... no more of this! his mind moaned out on the verge of tears. This madness has to end!

There came a strangled cry, and he saw blood splash into his line of vision, even felt it speckle his face. The screams grated his eardrums, driving him further into sickness and insanity. Then he heard it... louder than any other ambient noise... the unmistakeable cackle, so unlike her voice, but he couldn't tell if it was in the present or from memory. It was just there, like she was laughing in his ear at that very moment, mocking him with every breath as she beat him into a bloody wreck, calling him names, telling him he was worthless, unloved, an abomination hated by all—

“Stop it, stop it, stop it, STOP IT!”

And there was a loud pop before him, and the slight thud of a body hitting the ground caught his attention. He snapped his head up, first spotting the Legendaries all leaning over each other, arms up like they were banging on a wall, staring in dismay off to the side. He slowly scanned the grass covered in puddles of blood that led to the twitching body of Manaphy. His back was torn to shreds, hardly an inch was spared. Latias approached with caution, gingerly scooping him into her arms as she cried, tilting her head up. Swallowing down his nausea, Mewtwo hesitantly lifted his eyes.

Mew's body was held suspended, arm frozen above her with the whip hanging off her fingers. Her neck and back had been forcibly bent at a wrong angle, her head hanging out of sight. He gasped sharply, stumbling onto his haunches backing away as he trembled in fright, and dry heaved. The Legendaries tore themselves away to gawk at him, watching as his eyes widened to a point his irises and pupils appeared to have shrunk. The sight was unsettling, they couldn't help but feel anguished from the moment.

There then came a crack, and they watched as Mew disturbingly hunched herself forward and twisted her spine and neck back in place with a snap. Blood thickly dribbled from her mouth, nose and ears, though they were sure her eyes were also bleeding judging by how red they looked when she swerved over to face him. Her teeth were clenched tightly, veins pulsing in her temples and neck as her oculars dangerously flashed.

“I have had it with you,” she snarled, twirling the whip in her hand. “I offer you choices, none of which ever appeal to you. I went ahead to give you a chance to enjoy yourself to your heart's content, yet you let that bitch tell you otherwise. I made the choice to not kill your friends, hell, I was even going to take up on your offer, and this is how you repay me!? Do you enjoy resisting me, you bastard?! Are you that desperate to die?!”

Mewtwo retained his silence as he finally averted his gaze, covering his face with a shaky hand. Legion let out a harsh huff, oblivious to or ignoring the young Eon dragon as she carted away Manaphy and pushed past the group to the lake behind them. Bringing the whip to eye-level, he glared at its crimson shine and coat of blood still dripping from the ends. With narrowed eyes, the demon glanced back to the huddled clone.

“So be it,” he rasped out. “If I cannot get you to cooperate, I shall get another spirit who is willing to fulfill my work.”

Moving forward, he raised the whip.

*~*~*

The pain wasn't anything new, but it came so quickly, it caught Mew off-guard. She was so engrossed in Mewtwo's growing emotions, when she felt what may have been a sharp object digging into his skin and igniting a searing fire, it was like she temporarily forgot how to scream. After a few more strikes, she was driven to her knees in a whimpering mess. Amber had taken hold of her the minute she showed signs of agony, and the girl tried her best to calm the feline down. But as the beatings progressed, she couldn't take it anymore, and cried out as loud as her voice could handle it.

“Make it stop, make it STOP!” she shrieked through her tears, fingers dangerously gouging into her face as she trembled.

The child pushed her closer in the hopes to stabilize her thrashing. “Deep breaths, Mew, deep breaths...”

“Oh, God, what is he doing to him?!”

“Mew, please calm yourself down.”

“Amber, I think he's killing him!” She choked on a wail, and she buried her face into the dress. “He's killing him!”

She closed her eyes tightly as she nodded. “He's lost so much blood from earlier... he will in a few minutes if this keeps up.”

Mew snagged her sleeves, shaking her head so hard, she grew dizzy. “No, no! He can't! Amber, don't make him come here, please!”

Placing a comforting hand on her head, she murmured, “It's not up to me to decide between who lives and who dies.”

Her eyes widened as she trembled from another wave of pain. “Wha... b-but I thought...”

Amber shook her head with a sad smile. “I am only an angel. I am not the Judge.”

“But you said... I-I... what was with the mirror, then?!”

“It is used for those who wish to interact with those beyond the Veil they still hold dear to their hearts.” She squeezed the Legendary into a hug, staring at the bloody gashes that were opening on Mew's back. “Even if they have been forgotten...”

The Legendary opened her mouth to speak out again only to have another scream escape her. She covered her face, then pulled her hand away to stare horrifically at the fresh blood running down her palm. Amber sternly grasped her small paws, locking eyes with her.

“Mew, I want you to break your right wrist.”

She gasped. “You want me to what?!”

“It will only be for a few minutes. Trust me.” Then she let her go.

Mew gaped at the girl, her flinches and pains steadily becoming less and less conspicuous. As much as she didn't wish to believe her, her heart couldn't deny what she said. She thought of the mirror, and the bonding she shared with Mewtwo, which in turn took her back to a memory, not too long ago.

“...whatever happens to our bodies... happens to us and vice versa... because we take the form of them.”

Taking a deep, labored breath, she nodded in assurance, and tightly gripped her wrist. Biting her lip, she scrunched her eyes shut.

*~*~*

The pleadings of the Legendaries had grown feeble the longer and harder the floggings continued. Helpless behind a thick barrier, they could only watch through their tears as Mewtwo was mercilessly scourged. Legion had placed all his anger into the whip, yet showed some satisfaction at the spilling of his blood by laughing or licking it off Mew's cheek. The clone's cries of agony had by now been demoralized to gasps as he struggled to remain conscious. His back was littered by shards that had broken off and been hammered into his wounds.

Giggling insanely, the feline teasingly cracked the whip in the air to shower crystal fragments like confetti over his nearly-motionless body before cutting across his shoulders. “Oh, this is beautiful!” she gasped out. “Of everything I have done in my eternal life, I never had this much fun, nor been this excited! If I was not killing you, Mewtwo, I would have let you and your friends go until after I tire of this memory!”

“Mewtwo, no,” Shaymin moaned out, hiccuping on her sobs.

Mew paused for a quick breather, smirking down at the broken Legendary. “One more should do it,” she murmured, taking in the amount of blood. “Consider this my last kiss good-bye, darling.” She raised it above her head as far back as she could go.

There then came a nauseating snap of the bones as her wrist suddenly twisted a one-eighty. She dropped the whip with a startled cry, staring in dismay at her limp paw. Gritting her teeth so her breaths came out as hisses, she shot her head up to look at the astonished crowd, then at Mewtwo. Noticing how brief his breathing was, a frown carved itself onto her lips. Putting aside the concern for her injured hand, she telekinetically raised up his ragged body and dragged him to a tree. Reaching inside the closest spire, she pulled out crystalline rope and tied him to the trunk, the pressure against his wounds causing him to twitch.

After staring down at him for a few minutes, she stole a glance at the Legendaries, who were all still too in awe to speak out. She scanned the area around them, as though measuring the perimeter of their enclosed prison, even craned her neck for a glimpse of Manaphy half-submerged by the water's edge, then floated off for the exit without another word. When she disappeared around the bend, they let out the breaths they had held, and quietly wept where they stood.

..........OMIGAWD LEGION IS INSANE
I hope Manaphy makes it out alive..... I love Manaphy, so him dying would dampen my day. Poor Sea Prince.
Poor Mew. Having to break her right wrist. I suppose it's for a good cause, AKA stopping Legion temporarily, but still.... THAT'S GOTTA HURT.For ONCE there was no rude or wrong comments for Deoxys or Giratina. Makes a dim chapter MUCH better!
I hope the next chapter is happier and more cheerful. This chapter was just... I dunno.... dim and dark, like hope being crushed into submission and then some.

..........OMIGAWD LEGION IS INSANE
I hope Manaphy makes it out alive..... I love Manaphy, so him dying would dampen my day. Poor Sea Prince.

Don't worry, he won't die. I never saw the movie, so I don't know how everything really works, but I figure that as long as Manaphy is in water (as his body's made up of 80% water), his wounds can heal. Though judging by these wounds, that'll take a while.

Poor Mew. Having to break her right wrist. I suppose it's for a good cause, AKA stopping Legion temporarily, but still.... THAT'S GOTTA HURT.

I actually had to look up "how to break your wrist" to make sure twisting it can break it XD. It says to have a friend do it (though why would you allow a friend to break your bones is beyond me), but I suppose with enough arm strength and muscle, you can twist your own wrist to break it. I swear I am not sadistic in any way.

For ONCE there was no rude or wrong comments for Deoxys or Giratina. Makes a dim chapter MUCH better!

Lol, they know when to keep their mouths shut. For the most part. But they'll go back to their stupid comments in the next chapter. (Sorry.)

I hope the next chapter is happier and more cheerful. This chapter was just... I dunno.... dim and dark, like hope being crushed into submission and then some.

Yup. That's a black plot if I ever saw one. Which I haven't.
Nice change of pace. I'm beginning to think of Legion as an actually SMART demon, instead of the one-track-minded demon he was originally portrayed as. Changing strategies is something I wasn't expecting. Nor was I expecting him to start whipping the Jesus out of Manaphy.
*coughmeaniecoughcough*
And then the one thing I look for in any fan-fic: LOGIC.
It makes sense. If Mew uses her will/spirit to break her wrist, then naturally, the body would suffer the same damage. It's the "illusion" basis; Whatever your mind is forced into accepting as reality will cause the body to inflict the same thing upon itself.
LOVE IT.

I'm beginning to think of Legion as an actually SMART demon, instead of the one-track-minded demon he was originally portrayed as. Changing strategies is something I wasn't expecting. Nor was I expecting him to start whipping the Jesus out of Manaphy.

Funny you should mention that, as that was what it's was based off of. I thought of the idea on Easter Sunday during sacrament, but it wasn't clearly set in stone until after I watched The Passion of the Christ a few hours later. As heart-breaking as it was, I felt the scourging punishment fit.

And then the one thing I look for in any fan-fic: LOGIC.
It makes sense. If Mew uses her will/spirit to break her wrist, then naturally, the body would suffer the same damage. It's the "illusion" basis; Whatever your mind is forced into accepting as reality will cause the body to inflict the same thing upon itself.
LOVE IT.

Ha ha, I never thought of it that way! I had the idea the entire time, it was even mentioned in chapter ten, but an illusion basis! Hmm! Thank you for pointing that out, that is very interesting.

Hikaru 2000: Poor Manaphy indeed, I feel a little guilty for letting him go through it. Thanks for the review ^^.

Finally read all of the chapters so far, told you I would.
Woah, abusive fic, is Legion nuts?! he's really counter-productive about the way he's doing this.
Mew has had a worse time of it than MewTwo, the only good thing about her life is that she knew the love of a parent at one point. MewTwo had Amber and the kanto starters at first I guess, but they dissapeared on him.

What i'm surprised at yet is how the Legendaries havn't gone berserk yet, just attacking everything, or is it against their codes to do that?

No update, just replying to the reviews. I'm working on the chapter, it's just been slow work. I'm hoping it's not going to be a big chapter, but judging by what I plan to do with this chapter, it might be big.

But enough about that.

Northern Lights: Like you promised X3. Thank you for that, NL. And is Legion nuts? Or just very persistent? He's growing mad from all this, so I guess you could say he is.

That is true, but with Mewtwo's past, he doesn't remember anything before his birth. When Amber and the other clones died, it traumatized him to the point where if he wasn't sedated, he'd kill himself with his own powers. If he was to be aware of this from the beginning (if he hadn't killed himself), then he possibly could have had a different life altogether because of that memory. He may have spared Doctor Fuji, or may have killed him in a different manner. There is no telling what he would have done. The movie goes into some depth about choice and how living your life defines who you are. He can barely live with himself for having killed, so would it have been better or worse for him to remember Amber? It really depends.

Originally Posted by Northern Lights

What i'm surprised at yet is how the Legendaries havn't gone berserk yet, just attacking everything, or is it against their codes to do that?

Ha ha, glad you asked that. The Legendaries are civilized enough that they know better than to begin attacking everything. There were exceptions in the past, but for the most part, they know their limits. As the world got worse, they had to learn to be careful with their actions. But as they weren't doing their job, they might as well have gone berserk.

However, now that they're in the Tree... we'll see. It'll be covered for the next few chapters.

Originally Posted by Northern Lights

I shall be stalking watching for next chapter

Lol, I'll put you on the PM list anyway xD. Thank you again for the review!

spartanlaser: Thank you! I take it by your second post (double-posting isn't allowed as it might be considered spam, just letting you know, so please edit your posts in the future) you are nearing the half-way point, which is okay, you take your time with this story. I have the ending all planned out, but your suggestion is close to how I'm ending it. Just letting you know, lol. And I'll put you on the PM list!

I feel awful for finally getting to comment.. a month after the next chapter was released. All my technology decided to fail at the same time. Sorry.

Anyway, this chapter was pretty dang beastly. I feel sorry for Manaphy. Poor little thing. Also I remember where the name 'Amber' was from. I feel so proud of myself! And Mew! Mew is so awesome! Breaking her wrist to break Legion's wrist? Never saw that coming. But this chapter was pretty brutal.
Great job, and kudos for the amazin chapter.

Sprite of Brendan created by ~GloomyDayze, sprite of Red originally created by Da-Suspect (Who has vanished from existence, just like Red did...), and the sprite which is a mix between Lyra and Jasmine, I created, myself. The other two I edited for resemblance to my Trainers, Terry and Forme, respectively.

Hey, I'm back. Sorry I've been gone so long. I sorta fell out of love with this fic when all this gushy romance became more apparent. XD Yeah I sound like I'm eight. Tonight I decided to continue where I left off some months ago and I have fallen in love once again.

Anyways, I knew Legion was bad, but I think he's transcended even what Joseph Mengel did to the Jews. Jeez, I mean he is freaking INSANE. Crazy, suffering from sadism. I'm surprised he hasn't killed the Legendaries yet.

Also the zombies part was, for lack of a better word, WEIRD! Still loving the dynamic between the Legendaries. Can't decide whom I like the most.

So.. when do you plan on posting Chapter 16? Keep up the good work. You gotta tell me, what is the significance of the name Amber.

Thank you for all being patient with me. I hope this doesn't happen again, but I seriously doubt it. Just as long as I don't announce anymore set deadlines, I should be fine. If it's not because of my short-attention span I've been having (or my addiction to TV Tropes), it may just be because I've been having a stressful semester. It's been killing me on the inside.

But enough about my angst, it isn't important.

Okay, while writing this chapter, I noticed just how long it got, it actually got slightly longer than chapter four. Well, while struggling to finish it up, I thought about it and figured, “As much as I'd like to, I'm not going to torture them with it. They suffered enough waiting two months for an update.” So I split it into two chapters. Be grateful.

Thus as a result, I'm not pleased with this chapter. May be subject to edits when it needs be.

Enjoy!

*~*~*~*

Chapter Sixteen:The Escape

“Escape, escape, from this sorrowful fate
You are not a flower of Hell
In that kind of place, don't bloom there, don't bloom there
Don't let them ensnare you”
-- “Naraku no Hana” (translated), Shimamiya Eiko, When Cicadas Cry Solutions

*~*~*

Under direction of Amber, Mew had to wait it out before she could heal her wrist. She wasn't told for how long, so the uncertainty of it all crept its way into her thoughts. She didn't doubt the girl in the very least, but she had growing concerns about Legion's suspicion of it. He was getting on their case, she could feel it in the pit of her core. It had been some time since he left her friends alone, and by then the agonizing vibes grew dull; his refusal to heal it was of arrogance, but him leaving them be was a sign he knew. The belief troubled her as she knelt there, firmly grasping it in place.

Taking a steady breath, she anxiously turned to the young lass. “Amber, I can't thank you enough for your help... but it hurts. It hurts so much, I can barely feel the pain now.” She lightly chuckled, wincing when her fingers twitched. “Can I heal it now?”

She slightly shook her head. “Not just yet...”

“But Legion's on to us,” she protested. “He would have already set it by now.”

Amber's eyes flitted over. “Like he would have allowed your wounds to heal?”

Mew felt a sting press against her heart at the remembrance, and she flashed the cut on her arm in silent agreement. She was unsure why he decided to tear her body apart, whether it was to keep reminding himself it was still alive, or to torment Mewtwo to submission. Under normal circumstances, she would have already been dead from blood loss. If she was to return now in this state, she would only permanently end up back at Amber's side. However, she had warned her about staying longer, implying she will be judged eventually. It seemed both she and Legion knew it, thus leaving her with no other choice but to die: painfully or quietly.

Amber stepped to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in comfort. Sharply inhaling, the feline glanced over. “Why me?” she inquired dejectedly. “What is it about me that... attracted Legion in the first place? What does getting me pregnant with Mewtwo's child have to do with anything?”

The girl apologetically returned the gaze. “I don't know the details... but as you were the guardian, only you can control the Tree. After all, you are naturally immune to the Tree by contract.”

She frowned. “But wasn't it broken when I became mortal?”

“When it died,” came the amend.

Mew chewed on her lip nervously. “...does Legion know?”

“This was between you, Arceus, and the Lord. Legion only has so much knowledge about the Tree and you, he may not have known about your contract.”

Hanging her head, a puzzling thought came to mind. She somehow couldn't quite remember most of the day she became the guardian. She knew of Arceus' approach, the request, her accepting it sincerely before they entered the Tree... the rest was strangely blank. All she knew was there being more to it than just saying “yes”, like an agreement had to be made.

Glancing back up at her, she asked, “Amber, can you please tell me how I made this 'contract'? It's been so long... I'm sure if I ponder on it long enough I'll remember, but can you tell me anyway?”

The young miss smiled. “I'm sorry to say the contract is a rather sacred event when it comes to the Tree, that if you don't keep it you'll forget it. But you're right, eventually you'll remember... in a good few centuries here.” She slightly giggled when Mew's ears drooped, then added, “However, you got me here to tell you! So, what is it you want to know about the contract?”

“Um... pretty much how I made the contract with the Tree.”

Amber's smile grew. “There are only a couple of things you had to transfer to the Tree in order to become one with it: blood and aura. Both of these have to come into contact with the Heart for it to register, and because it's so sensitive, usually all that's required are just a drop of each. But those small drops are what taps you into its life force through crystals, and makes you the master control.”

Glancing down at her palms, the Legendary felt a lump stick in her throat. “So then... how did Legion do it exactly?”

“He formed the Heart with bare hands—your hands. This in turn introduced the blood and aura into its system.”

Mew felt herself grow pale. “So then... he can control the Tree?”

“He can...” The girl gently grasped her small paws. “However, that means he can also lose control of it. What he doesn't realize is that upon reviving the Tree, both his and your aura were used, more or less.”

She perked up, still frightened at the facts. “But what does this have to do with anything?”

Amber tilted her head. “Oh? You don't know?” She giggled, confusing Mew even further. “Your aura has a mixture of Pokémon and human aura. And of course, human aura can kill the Tree if there's enough of it.”

She scarcely heard the last sentence when her heart skipped a beat. Deep down, she had a feeling something had gone wrong the last time she was in the Tree, but she had forgotten about it since. Though she had an answer at last, Mew still found herself surprised by the confirmation.

Gaping at the girl, who was stifling her laughs, she mouthed for a few moments before finally breathing out, “...I-I got... human aura in me?”

“You've had it for a while, about a good, mmm, few months now.”

Shaking her head, she flinched upon loosening the grip on her injury. She had to take a few breaths before speaking up. “Why haven't I noticed this?”

Steadying her, Amber responded, “There was no way you could have known without the Tree. But as you didn't know... maybe you aren't as linked to it as you used to be.” She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Mew just caught herself from letting loose a frightened whimper. “I-Is this a good thing? I mean... is the Tree going to reject me—my body?”

“Not exactly. It's feeding right now.”

“But I thought human aura is forbidden in the Tree!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands about. Hissing and tensing in pain, she squeezed her wrist once again.

The girl sadly hung her head, taking back the Legendary's paws. “It is... it was never meant to hold humans. While it feeds on both humans and Pokémon alike, human aura cannot be used to control the Tree, or it goes berserk. However, it is used instead in emergencies... at the cost of a life.” She slightly paused when Mew winced. “You are thankful enough to have only done this twice... the third time you tried, you did not have enough human aura to help balance out its gorging. When it backfired, you absorbed it, and you've had it since. So now, running through the Tree's veins are three types of aura: yours, Legion's—a demon, and man's. None of them can mix in a good way, so it's impure.”

Amber suddenly trailed off, avoiding the feline's gaze. Mew immediately grew worried, taking her silence as not a good sign. As much as she didn't want to hear anything about it anymore, her anxiety got the best of her. She leaned in, shaking her hands to get her to continue. When the lass drew in a slow breath, Mew felt her heart sink.

“The Tree's sick, and is slowly growing out of control,” she sighed in a melancholic tone. “He's using his minions and those of Pokémon to fuel it, but there is not enough of your pure aura to neutralize it... It's only a matter of time before the Tree begins to kill. Your friends are going to die.” She glimpsed over at the wide-eyed stare of her companion. “You will die.”

It was very clear Mew was upset at this reveal. She had not thought about the consequences despite knowing them, but she didn't know of its current condition either. It was hard for it to sink in because of how horrific it was. Inside her was a catalyst as a result of a backfire, the very essence the Tree made sure with all its might to rid itself of except when needed. Then upon recreating it, Legion unintentionally poisoned the Tree, thus sealing their deaths. She didn't know what to say, at how to express herself.

The girl watched as the feline's expression intensified into a mixture of anger and sadness. Her body was trembling from the emotion, her fingers digging into her palms, which she allowed her to do. She just hung her head in apology, briefly looking away. “However... there is some good news...”

“How can there be?!” Mew gave the sudden scream that made her flinch. Her claws sunk into her skin when she clutched harder. “You told me yourself we're going to die! How can there be any good that'll come from this?! The Tree's gone berserk, and there is no way I can neutralize it like this!”

Amber inhaled deeply before speaking. “Another defuser—or neutralizer—is available that will at the very least counteract the aura and make it useless.”

The Legendary gasped a little when her heart fluttered. “There is? What is it?” she urged quickly. “Do we still have hope?”

The child managed a giggle, loosening the tension up. “It's not a what, but a whom.”

Mew scowled a little, her ears drooping in slight disappointment. “'Whom',” she repeated blankly, then shook her head. “Whom else besides me can heal the Tree? None of the other Legendaries have that power, let alone know how it works.”

“Don't worry, you'll help him, but all it takes is just touching the Heart, really.” Laughing again, she continued, “And besides, the Tree has identified Mewtwo as a contributor, there should be no way he wouldn't know how to work it at all. And also because he has human aura as well.”

The feline opened her mouth to protest, only to freeze and review the statement. It sounded impossible, there had to be no way Mewtwo was linked to the Tree. She would have known by now if he was. She wanted to clarify it first, though all she could manage out were scattered mumbles.

“...what? Mewtwo? But how can he... how... what?”

Amber's smile grew a little bigger when some excitement came into her voice. “You can say it's in his blood, which would mean it's in the Tree as well. Normally he'd be kicked out by now, but as the Tree consumed human aura, it's more acceptable.”

“W-Well yeah, but... how'd he get the human aura? I don't think he's ever studied how to control aura. And you know Mewtwo has never liked humans.”

“I know... but his is natural, in an odd way.” She leaned in with a curious look. “Did he ever tell you about his origins? I take it he knows it, there were records that weren't yet destroyed.”

When Mew shrugged and shook her head, her eyes closed as she let out a slow breath. “The fossil they used to create Mewtwo was missing some parts in its DNA due to age. To fill in the gaps and continue with the experiment, the scientists had no choice but to substitute the blank spaces with other DNA. They tried quite a good many strands, but they were all rejected for reasons unknown. Out of desperation and time, they went ahead and used human DNA knowing the consequences if they failed. It surprisingly worked, but given the age of the fossil, I don't doubt it was from a time when they were still revered by humans. Lots of Mew in that time of age came into contact with humans a lot, so it's possible some DNA was on the fossil.” Amber just shrugged. “I don't know whose DNA they used, but I probably have a good idea...”

She slightly trailed off with a sad smile. “...Papa was proud of Mewtwo... if Mewtwo was a human to begin with, he could have been my baby brother, maybe.” Her eyes suddenly widened, a hand shooting up to her mouth in surprise. Looking back up at her confused companion, she let out a giggle. “I'm sorry... I got side-tracked there.”

Mew just shook her head in assurance. “No, it's okay, it explains a lot, actually... and that he was right after all.” She wiped at an eye the moment she felt the sting of a tear. “Now I know why I could never have invited Mewtwo over for long periods of time. The Tree recognized the human in him and had to get rid of him. But because he's still a Pokémon, it just spat him back outside. A normal human would have been absorbed, Mewtwo was just kicked out.” She chewed on her bottom lip, staring at their clasped hands. She twitched one of them out of curiosity to see if the wrist was still broken. Shivering under the small wave of pain, she glanced back up at the girl when a familiar question came to mind. “Um, Amber... how do you know Mewtwo? And not because you're a spirit, I meant personally.”

Amber's smile slowly grew, her eyes brightening up. “Because I was there from the beginning,” she replied in a whisper. When the Legendary's brow rose skeptically, she explained further, “I kept him company, a few others and I did, and I taught him about the world. I showed him how to count, where I lived, what the sun, and moon and stars looked like. I taught him all I knew as a four-year-old. And then... he stopped smiling...”

Her gaze had steadily averted to the floor, transitioning into a serene daze. It retained its dreamy look when she glanced back up, her grip tightening. “Mew, thank you for keeping Mewtwo company. As physical as I am, I couldn't be there for him. But I could watch over him, sometimes even read his heart.” Her smile became lovely and heart-wrenching. “He's grateful for you taking the time to look past his flaws and see who he really is. He doesn't know it, he thinks you're the first, but you are the second one who knows him.”

Mew could take the information all in, but she had to step back from it for a quick review. She found it unbelievable that she had expressed her knowledge of Mewtwo since she manifested herself. It was strangely intimate for a child whom she had never before seen nor heard of, it was possible she knew more about him than Mewtwo did himself. Only one answer came to her that was plausible enough for her statements to be true.

Staring into the girl's eyes, she quietly inquired, “Are you his guardian angel?”

A sudden laugh escaped from Amber. “Yes, I am! I couldn't believe it myself when I was given the position. I guess it's because I'm the closest to family he's got, but he doesn't know it. He hasn't since before he was born...” She quickly shook her head to get unwanted thoughts out and swung their clasped hands joyfully. “That's why I'm excited for you two. It makes me sad to see Mewtwo lonely. Even if I had lived to die as an old granny, I'd still be sad. I'm so grateful to be here with you, the wife of my best friend.”

She was tempted to correct her, but left it be, not wanting to argue with her again about the difference between “life-mate” and “marriage”. Glancing down at their hands, she cautiously pulled the inflicted one away only to find it had healed. Her eyes slowly widened as she twisted and rolled her wrist around in awe, unsure what to say.

After a few moments of silence and exercising her paw, Mew turned back to Amber when a random thought popped into her mind. “Amber... forgive me for asking you this, but... how did you die?”

“Depends on which life you're talking about.”

She blinked. “Uh... what?”

Amber gave a lop-sided grin. “Well, I technically had two lives—sort-of. Actually, more of a revival... It's complicated.” She entwined her hands behind her back with a giggle.

The girl winked. “I'll tell you here soon. But for now, let's get you ready to go back home.” She pulled the Legendary with her when she stood up, swinging their arms around. Her voice then dropped to a whisper. “You are needed desperately now. I can't hold you back any longer.”

Home...

It made her heart ache, torn between wanting to go back and staying with the little angel. She knew she could only have one decision, and it was an important one. Selfishness wasn't an option, it didn't exist here. As homesick as she was and wanted to be back with Mewtwo and her friends, she was growing fond of Amber and the peace she held. However, on the other side, her loved ones were hurting, even possibly dying. It was the fate she didn't want to wish upon them. Even if they died and joined her, there was always the chance they'd be separated, and Arceus would show great displeasure at their failure to uphold their promise. Happiness didn't seem to exist either way. But she trusted Amber in that there was hope. That hope, however, couldn't happen unless she went back.

Mew felt tears sting her eyes, only to quickly blink them away and nod at the young lass, who returned the gesture before dipping her chin in. “Mew, are you confident about this? You still do have agency here. You can choose what to do, but you'll have to face the consequences... and they may not be pretty.”

The feline took a long, slow breath. “I'm willing to go back. Whatever happens, happens. There's nothing I can do about it... now that I know what death holds for me.”

Clasping her paws with a smile, Amber led the way toward the Veil.

*~*~*

They didn't know how long they remained in the field for after Mew had left them. The Pokémon that didn't leave had found it was safe to return to normal life, and went about their business, avoiding the Legendaries for the most part. The only exception was Mewtwo, who remained bound against the tree despite all the nudging and light tugging of the ropes that were done. He was still fairly weak, and though he had gained awareness, he refused to move or acknowledge them, preferring to stare blankly at the crystal spire next to him. His peers kept a close surveillance from behind their prison.

There hadn't been any signs that the barrier was letting up, nor that there were openings high above or underwater; not even Darkrai and Giratina could find a way to slip through it. It was slowly heating up in the enclosed space from the many bodies, though Shaymin informed the temperature would drop when the evening came. (She even told them to keep their mouths shut in the off-chance it was air-tight.) Their concern, for the time being, had been focusing on Manaphy's condition.

The Sea Prince was getting his strength back, his wounds having healed to the best of Mesprit's and Jirachi's abilities and from being in the water. He had by now lost the will to cry, and at the moment chose to sit in Latias' lap and stare out into the open field. Though they worried about his emotional and mental status, the Legendaries found solace at knowing he wasn't by Death's door anymore.

Many in the group turned to glare at the alien. Celebi, whose arm was in a make-shift sling from what little Mesprit could use, slowly shook his head. Without looking away from the lake, he murmured, “That was not Mew... she would never act like that. Whatever has her in its possession has had her for some time.” He raised his uninjured hand to rub his cheek. “Did it ever say its name? It gave us a title, but as for the name, I can't recall it...” He ducked his head for a few moments, pinching his brow. “Ah. Mewtwo kept addressing her as 'Legion'.”

“So much for protection and guidance,” Giratina huffed. “But the name's rather familiar. Hey, Latios,” he grunted to the side, “know the name?”

The Eon Dragon solemnly glanced up at the Renegade Legendary. “Why are you asking me?” he calmly pointed out. “How am I supposed to know? My response is the same as yours.”

He shrugged his wings with a sneer. “Sheesh, sorry I even asked. But honestly, anyone feel the name is familiar or something, or am I imaging it?”

More silence fell on the group as they shifted in their seats, some pursing their lips in thought. Then Shaymin gave a recitation, though she had been so quiet the whole time, a few did double-takes when she did. “'For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion; for we are many.'” She didn't bother meeting anyone else's gazes, sorrowfully casting her eyes instead at Mewtwo. “Whether it was a literal name or not, that man who was 'saying' it really meant it... there were many demons in him.”

Latias hoisted herself and Manaphy straighter as she fearfully turned to her brother. “Does that mean Mew has thousands of demons in her?”

“Well then, we should go grant them that wish to go into a herd of some swine, what do you think?”

Latios suddenly shot up and leered over at Giratina. “I have had it with you!” he snarled. “What is your problem that you have to mock us?”

“To hell with your reasoning, the point is, you have been cracking inappropriate jokes to serious problems! It's because I have read my caretaker's bible, isn't it? So that must make me an expert!”

“I never said you were an expert!”

Latios gave a harsh, mocking laugh, sending shivers down everyone's spines. “Oh really? Ever since the world ended, you wouldn't shut up about it! If I didn't know better, I would have thought you were interested, but I do know better! You know it quite well, and because you do, you chose to rebel, am I right?” He then gave a sharp smirk. “But I suppose that has been the norm to you, hasn't it?”

His sister released Manaphy to pull on his arm. “Latios, no! He doesn't mean it!” She gave a small squeak when he jerked away from her, then whirled around to stand before him. “Latios, please! Just let it go!”

“Listen to your sister, for Christ's sake!” the ghostly dragon exclaimed out, gesturing to the trembling female. “She has a point here!”

“Yeah, and you're wasting all our air!” Deoxys blurted out with a snicker. Cresselia and Rayquaza slapped him upside the head while others shot him warning glances, making him wince further.

Shaking her head, Latias tightly hugged him, gazing tearfully up at his darkened face. “Latios, please, I don't want another fight!” she wailed. “I'm tired of all the negativity in the group! I-I know we have been getting along the last few months or so, b-but there are still these fights, and I hate it! If we had not been fighting to begin with, we wouldn't be here! Mew wouldn't have had all those nightmares, and she and Mewtwo would be happy together! And we would all be happy together!” Sobbing, she buried her face into his chest. “I thought... I thought we were doing what Ho-oh and Arceus told us to do...” Digging her claws into his shoulders, she pulled away, tears streaming from her wide eyes. “I don't want to fail! I don't want to die!”

Latios sneered down at his sibling, slowly loosening up when he recalled the many arguments and battles the Legendaries had partaken in, and in remembering the civilians of Alto Mare. He treasured the days from when it was a peaceful city, where Latias could roam free without fear. It was when she was mugged that something inside him had snapped. He couldn't remember what happened next, all he knew was it took him most of the night to wash the blood and dirt off. It took a good few years before she stopped being afraid of him, but the deed had been done. He had little power to keep her innocence from being corrupted. Glancing up at Giratina, he wrapped his arms around her and led her to the water's edge for a seat. The renegade turned his back on him, folding his wings and hanging his head.

The group held their silence, feeling an uncomfortable burden on their shoulders. They stole sheepish looks from one another, unsure what else to say. Shortly afterward, Entei began sniffing and blubbering, large tears rolling down his face.

Raikou raised a brow at him, inching away at the sight. “Erm... is something wrong, Entei?” he inquired.

“What are you blabbing on abo—” Suicune grunted out, but then was cut off when she felt her paws being soaked. She and a few others looked down, barely catching themselves from screaming in disgust. Her brother just sat there in his urine, trembling in sobs. After sucking in sporadic breaths, she finally let out a cry of repulsion and bounded into the water. More followed suit until they were pushed up against the barrier, glaring at Entei.

The ones lucky enough to levitate or avoid the mess ended up laughing until the smell made them gag. After a few more complaints, the poor beast wailed, “Stop yelling at me, it's not my fault! I couldn't hold it any longer!”

Zapdos made choking noises and pounded almost frantically against the barrier. “Need! Fresh! Air!” He then paused in the middle of gasping, and stared quizzically at the psychic wall. He scanned the surface and banged the obstacle again, picking up reverberating twangs. “Hey, guys, check this out!”

Moltres scowled, watching him rhythmically beat the barrier. “Are you just that bored you have to entertain yourself?” she scoffed.

“You're not even listening!” He smacked it a few more times, a grin appearing on his beak. “You hear that? It's not as solid as it was. If we hit it enough, we can break through!”

The firebird knocked on it herself, and she blinked, repeating it a couple of times. “Well douse my flames and call me a bald Torchic, Zaps, you're right for once!”

Out of surprise, the Legendaries came forward to test it out, excited murmurs flaring up in the crowd. Darkrai crossed his arms after a few taps. “It's a good sign. If we wait it out, it'll be depleted before we know it.”

The dragon sneered at him, and without warning, smacked his head with his tail, sending him crashing into the barrier. A harsh vibration grated through the surface, forcing the Legendaries to cower in pain (though some verbally expressed it). When it gave out, they glanced up in awe to see a long, distorting crack. The sight of it dumbfounded them, but also brought hopeful smiles to their faces.

“Now that's using your noodle,” smirked Rayquaza. “But admit it, I thinned it out for you.”

The snide comment was promptly ignored when everyone else excitedly looked at one another. Quickly, they bombarded the barrier on all sides with special attacks (though the larger entities slammed their bodies against it), giving their all. The cracking was inspiring and beautiful, bringing about joyful cries and laughs to accompany it on the spot. It was loud, crowded, and hot, but they didn't let it bother them as their minds rejoiced at growing closer to freedom. Within minutes, they slowed to catch their breaths, happily marveling their work. They looked at one another with breathy chuckles, and slow nods, some fighting back tears. Bracing themselves, they let out spirited shouts and rushed forward at the webbed barrier. The impact shattered it to oblivion as they tumbled to the grass.

The surrounding Pokémon had dropped whatever they were doing to watch the Legendaries beat against their prison walls. When they broke through, they squealed out of surprise and ran for cover, but they went unheeded as the escapees expressed their mirth with cheers, dances, and tight hugs all around. There was a sense of victory present, of a battle won. It was a moment where they forgot their predicaments to congratulate one another.

It was only when Mesprit looked back to see Mewtwo seemingly unaware of their escape did the mood darken up. Pulling away from the group to rush to his side, she touched his shoulder. “Mewtwo, are you still with us?” she gasped out in worry. “Are you doing all right?”

There was a long moment before he closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath. She loosened up a little, still near to tears. Celebi floated up to her, sadly gazing at the wounds on the clone's thin form. The happy occasion now ended, everyone advanced solemnly to see the damage for themselves. They gaped down at the blood caked on his fur and the small streams still freshly running down. Manaphy stumbled forward, fighting back a sob as he grasped a paw and held it close. Mewtwo didn't even flinch.

Darkrai hesitantly stepped before the unresponsive psycat and reached out to lay a hand on his forehead. Almost immediately, he drew back to drag Cresselia in his place, pressing her paw to the same spot. She shivered just as quickly. “H-He's... fallen ill,” she murmured shakily. “I don't know if it's blood loss or shock... but he's gone through so much, I'm so surprised he hasn't...” Her counterpart released her so she could pull back. “He needs medical attention.”

“Or a body,” Giratina gave his insight. Some of his peers glanced over with confused looks. He then awkwardly corrected himself, “A familiar touch, is what I meant. We don't know what has been going on the past few days, however, if we take his words to Mew—or this Legion—into concept, his heart's breaking under pressure. You can't blame him for it. You'd go mad yourself if your loved one wasn't themselves for some time, wouldn't you agree?”

The swan found herself looking over at the phantom, frowning. “You have a point there... but unfortunately, Mew is inaccessible, and those of us with healing gifts are still weak. We are to resort to herbs for his health for the time-being.” She turned to spot an Omanyte peeking out from behind a bush nearby. It jumped when they made eye-contact. “Please don't be alarmed,” she cooed, clasping her paws together. “Tell us, are there any medicinal herbs here? Our friend here is very sick.”

The Pokémon took one look at Mewtwo before it squealed and scurried off for the lake.

The group stared in bafflement after it for a few moments until Deoxys broke the silence, scoffing and crossing his arms. “Nice going, Cress.”

Shaking her head at him, Cresselia turned her attention back to Mewtwo. Frowning at the crystalline ropes, she reached out to pull them off only to back off when he gave a sharp hiss of pain. “Jirachi, Mesprit, how confident are you two?”

The Wish Maker bowed his head. “I personally won't guarantee a good recovery,” he sighed out in melancholy. “He's been in such critical condition for so long—not to mention he's several times our size—we may end up neglectful.”

“We'll do our best, Cress,” Mesprit spoke up almost hurriedly, giving an assuring smile. “If the two of us work together, we may at least be able to get him to his feet.” She shot an aside look to Jirachi. “Let's untie him.”

They were stupefied at the complexity, thickness, and hardness of the ropes. Instead of being tied on, it looked like Mewtwo was lassoed to the tree. The group stared at the crystal it was attached to, glancing over at each other worriedly. “We have to destroy it, don't we?” Articuno murmured, folding her wings.

“It shouldn't be an option,” Dialga said in bewilderment. “These are linked to the life force of the Tree. There's no telling what'll happen if we kill a crystal.”

His rival raised an eye ridge at him. “'Kill a crystal',” he repeated blankly.

“You know what I mean! This is work of aura, I thought you knew that!”

“So you're suggesting that if one of these crystals are destroyed, it may lead to potential death?”

“To the Tree!”

Deoxys guffawed. “That's the dumbest theory I've heard. Okay, yeah, the aura part I can get, but just getting rid of one—count it, one—flippin' spire spells disaster for this humongous thing.”

Darkrai stepped in. “Dialga does have a point. Aura keeps this Tree alive. If not done correctly, we can kill the Tree.”

“But who the hell knows how to use aura here? Isn't Mew the Tree's guardian?”

“Anyone can use aura, Deoxys,” Rayquaza scoffed.

“Then you show us how it's done, smartypants!”

Rolling his eyes with a groan, Heatran pushed by the alien to pause at the spire. With a side glance at the group, he dashed his skull into the side, chipping off an ample piece. The crystal flickered rapidly, turning to a tranquil color of green for a short moment before the glow faded. After a quick study, the Lava Dome Pokémon bit a chunk off, chewed savoringly and swallowed it. With a huff, he raised a foot and stamped it to dust before spitting on it. “You're welcome,” he gruffly grunted, stomping back to his place.

The Legendaries remained rooted where they stood, gaping at the pile with incredulous looks, some blinking stupidly at what they had witnessed. Giratina glanced down at Heatran, mouthing for a few moments before blurting out, “What the hell was that?! Was that it?! No fiery explosions or pieces flying everywhere?!”

Leaning away from the renegade, Deoxys nodded in swift agreement. “Yeah... what he said.” He then noticed a sinister glint from off to the side, and looked over. He exclaimed in surprise at the abandoned whip. “Oh God, it's still hideous! Heatran, do something!”

Everyone looked over and froze upon seeing the bloodied weapon not far off from where they stood. A nauseous few turned away, trying to get the horrid memory out of their heads. It was only after Dialga got the courage to push himself forward and stomp it to pieces did the tension loosen up. After kicking them around, the time guardian returned to the others, twitching and shuffling his feet around in the grass.

Shaking her head around to snap out of her state, Mesprit snatched Jirachi's hand to drag him over to Mewtwo, only to pause before the clone. Though it was his first major movement, it wasn't what they were expecting from him. He was curling up against the trunk, clutching his stomach and staring feverishly at the ground, cold sweat beginning to develop on his brow. He raised a shaky hand to his mouth, breathing heavily and swallowing in between.

With a gasp stuck in her throat, the fairy rushed over to hold him steady, wincing at the intense body heat. “Mewtwo, you need to calm yourself down, stabilize your breathing!”

Cresselia spun around for the lakeside, reaching in to pull out a couple of thick weeds before hurrying over. She pressed them to his forehead, cursing softly at their short length. “Mesprit, Jirachi, clean those wounds, they may be getting infected.” When they jumped into action, she looked over her shoulder at the group. “Are there any herbs around here?”

A few cast their eyes about in response while others shrugged. Manaphy scurried for the lake, exclaiming out “I'll check for salveyo weed!” before diving in.

The swan scowled. “Latias!” she snapped out, startling the female. “You know the Tree well! Are there any herbs around here?”

She panicked a little, darting around nervously. “U-Uh, um... this is a huge field... I don't know which one we're in. They're somewhere, but I don't think they're in this specific field.”

“Damn it,” she hissed. “You bums go help her look!” she shot an order at the Legendaries.

Suddenly, Mewtwo lurched forward in a coughing fit, and she looked down to see blood drip from between his fingers. Her eyes widened in fright, unable to bring herself to gasp upon backing away. Mesprit and Jirachi paused for a look themselves, their faces immediately paling. When he was reduced to shivers, the clone slowly pulled his hand away to allow the dark liquid to dribble out of his mouth.

The Legendaries gaped in disgust at the growing puddle, a few turning away when they gagged. “Good Lord, Cresselia, what did you do to him?” Groudon grunted, wincing when his stomach churned.

“It's not her fault,” Shaymin whispered, swallowing her nausea down. “He's just sick is all...”

Mesprit glanced over at the hedgehog. “That's half-true,” she corrected quietly. “He's not really sick, is he?”

Everyone glanced down at the tiny female where she shivered under their gazes. “W-Well... something—something tells me he's connected to the Tree in some way.”

“What do you mean by 'connected'?” Jirachi inquired. “Is it similar to Mew's relationship with the Tree?”

Shaymin bowed her head a little. “In a way...” Lifting her eyes up to Mewtwo, whose stare never wavered from the ground, she cautiously approached him. “Mewtwo, I'm going to need your attention for a couple of minutes. Can you tell us what exactly happened here? Are you one with the Tree?”

Not a moment later did he tremble, his breaths quickening as he clutched at his face. For a brief moment when their visions crossed, she saw tears wavering in his eyes. Though he didn't respond, his actions of fright were enough evidence he was aware of them, almost like her question, or their presence in general was triggering an unwanted memory. She averted her gaze to the dark puddle with a grimace, then tilted her head sadly back to the group.

“I think he can heal physically, but we're going to lose him mentally if we don't find some medicine. Or at least some... substitutes.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a painful moment. “Is there really anything we can use until then?”

The Legendaries remained quiet, shifting weight awkwardly and pretending to find interest in a tree, Pokémon, or the light. Cresselia had been steadily shrinking back for the group, while Mesprit and Jirachi fell back on the healing. Celebi, after he waited for any of his peers to speak up, cleared his throat. “I may know of an item.”

A few perked their heads up. “Where is it?” Shaymin asked, sensing a hint of hope.

“It's just within teleportation range. I'll be back in no more than thirty seconds.”

“Celebi, you're in no condition to go anywhere!” the fairy scolded, flying up to him. “Let someone else go get it.”

“I'll be fine. It's not like every time I teleport, I leave a body part behind.” He gestured to his broken arm. “This is nothing.” With a small wink, he disappeared just as quickly.

She flustered for a moment, crossing her arms with a huff, and silently counted in her head. Some of the Legendaries stole a glance with each other, brows raised, but not a word was said. Their silence attracted the native Pokémon, all of whom were hiding peeked out, or those that had stood around cautiously approached closer. The group didn't seem to notice, though a few stole a glance at Manaphy when he solemnly stepped forth from the lake.

None of them were too surprised when Celebi flashed back in, albeit he was a little dizzy, a small frown on his face. Mesprit glowered at him, eying his arm. “Twenty-four seconds,” she announced. “How's your arm?”

The pixie looked over at her with an annoyed expression, then reached out, flipped over one of her hands, and dropped a sleek item into her palm. Her eyes widened, and a quiet “Oh, my word” escaped her lips.

Some of the Legendaries leaned forward in interest. “Hey, Cel, what'd you find?” Dialga wondered, tilting his head.

Steadying her now-shaking hand, Mesprit brought the item to the light. Everyone gaped at the small corked vial, clear liquid briefly sloshing inside its containment. Shaymin gasped. “Goodness gracious! Celebi, where did you...?”

Deoxys piped up before the pixie could utter a word. “There is only one explanation for this. In some form of weird, scientific way, he went back in time to get it. Because if I know my evaporation correctly, there is no way that water should still be in there.” He paused for a split-second. “Or at least that sparkling clean, anyway.”

Everyone gawked at him for a few moments before a few burst out laughing. “You're such a dolt!” Rayquaza guffawed in between breaths.

“Actually, Deoxys isn't too far off!” Manaphy spoke up above their voices. The laughing Legendaries slowed to a halt, peering down at the young Prince. His tone lowered when everything was quiet. “He's right that the water shouldn't be in there, but it's been closed off.” He plodded over to Mesprit, gesturing her to lower her arm for a better look. He took one good look before nodding. “Everything's balanced out in there. The water really has no where to go when it evaporates, but it leaves water vapor and fills it back up.” He grinned up at them.

Everyone stared down at Manaphy, brows raised and faces smoothed out in a dumbfounded look. Eventually, Deoxys waved it off. “Y-Y-Yeah, I knew that. I was hoping someone would get it.”

Shaymin patted the Seafaring Legendary on the head, then returned her attention to Celebi. “Anyway... where did you get it, Celebi? Or better worded, where was it all this time?”

He carefully hoisted up his bandaged arm, soberly hanging his head. “Remember all of those items we had collected after the world-wide disaster?” Some nodded their heads immediately. “I had gone ahead to place them in the Ilex Shrine, that was thankfully still up. Well, when I was there, a peculiar thought came to mind about how precious this vial is. It is the purest water in the world, with miraculous healing capacities. So I took it to Arborville. There is a shrine there as well, untouched for these many years. No one but the inhabitants of Arborville and I, and I suppose Suicune, know where it is, and the climate there is in perfect condition. Well, as it turns out, that has to be the best decision I made.” He frowned, letting out a sigh. “I just came back from the Ilex Shrine. It's... it's been demolished for some time. I took a look through it, and I discovered there are maybe one or two items missing.”

Mesprit gave him a worried look. “Did it look like an earthquake hit it?”

He shook his head. “This was deliberately searched through. Someone was really looking for something.”

Darkrai crossed his arms tightly. “This is rather suspicious, if you ask me,” he muttered. “Only a disrespectful punk would do such a thing. What items were taken, do you know?”

The pixie shrugged a little. “Honestly, it's been a while. I only remembered the water because of how prominent that thought was.” He then turned to Mewtwo, who had barely moved from where he knelt. Gently plucking the vial out of Mesprit's grasp, he pinched the cork tightly as he fluttered over. He lowered himself down to his likely peripheral vision, holding out the water.

“Mewtwo, I know you can hear me,” he quietly started. “You are the only one who knows what has been going on. We'll need your cooperation for this. This is a long-shot, Mewtwo, but drink this. It'll heal your body at the least, I don't know if it applies to... mental injuries as well. But we have nothing to lose.” He popped the cork off.

The clone flinched, his eyes widening as he slowly glanced over at the vial. Celebi wasn't sure whether to hold his breath or not, though he did keep a tight grip and up his guard in the off-chance he was to be lashed at. Mewtwo refused to look away from it when the pixie cautiously inched forward, the Legendaries beginning to be unnerved by his stare. The moment the glass reached his lips, he shook his head, and gave a quiet, simple remark:

“No.”

Celebi's antennae twitched, pleased he was still responsive, but was disappointed. “Mewtwo, it's for your own good.”

He repeated his reply. “No.”

Turning to the others, he gave a hesitant shrug. Most of the group relaxed, while the others groaned. “Take the damn water!” Groudon hollered in frustration. “It's not poisonous, we already went through it!”

Celebi gave him a wary “You're not helping” look before resuming what he was doing. “Mewtwo, please don't be stubborn with us. We want to save Mew as much as you do, but we can't do anything if you don't get better.”

Mewtwo's eyes had brightened up when she was mentioned. “Mew... yes...” With a shaky breath, he reached out an equally-trembling hand to take it from him, holding it up to the light. “This... this is for Mew.”

Mesprit levitated up to his side. “Mewtwo, that's thoughtful of you to think of her, but this is for you,” she pointed out anxiously. “We need you to get better.”

He seemed to have hardly heard her, having re-corked the bottle and was now twisting it in his fingers, muttering to himself. “Mew is not well... Mew has lost too much blood... she is going to die...” He clumsily pushed himself to his feet, flailing around for his balance. The two held him in place, the fairy swallowing down her sobs at how pitiful he looked. He still held his gaze to the vial like in captivation. “This... this will heal her. This will bring her back...”

Cresselia swooped in to bump into his side. “Mewtwo, you are in critical condition!” she huffed out. “Mesprit and Jirachi did their best to heal you. I know of no other herbs here, and this is the legendary Clarity Lake, said to have healing powers! If I recall correctly, Mewtwo, you brought it to our attention. If anything, you should have it!”

He broke the gaze to glance down at her, wincing in pain. “No... Mew is in worse condition... Legion...” He swayed dangerously to the side before the swan straightened him back up. He moaned a little, shaking his head. “Oh, Legion... he has been destroying her... her wounds have to close... or sh-she will die.” He rocked again in place, nearly falling forward.

Celebi caught him, though not without a struggle. “Oomph...! Mewtwo, bless your heart for thinking of her... but you can hardly move around without some assistance—ack! Heavy... you're heavy...”

Darkrai rushed over, giving Mesprit the moment to move him out of harm's way, quickly inspecting his arm. The phantom wrapped one of Mewtwo's arms around his shoulders to hold him up. “Cress, what's your estimation on his recovery?”

She sadly shook her head, nudging the clone's side when he slumped. “He's so weak, he should be dead now... at least that's what I'm estimating.” Some of the Legendaries hung their head in solemn agreement.

Chewing on his lip, the ghoul looked up at the clone, who had gone back to gazing at the vial, hints of tears in his eyes. “Well... whatever the case, we need to get him out of here. I fear he's growing mad.”

Entei sat on his haunches with a frown. “You kidding me? He looks sad to me.”

“Entei, either just listen or keep your mouth shut,” Suicune grumbled, lightly smacking his muzzle. “He meant the other mad.”

It took a moment for him to get it. “Oh-h-h, I see. That's makes a lot more sense now.” Then his face faltered. “Is that a good thing?”

“For the love of—”

“Suicune, if you're going to murmur over there, why don't you carry Mewtwo?” Darkrai called over.

She did a double-take. “You want me to what?”

“When he starts getting heavy, you can pass him on to someone else,” he added, casting a side glance at Cresselia, who narrowed her eyes unhappily.

Her brothers gladly prodded her over with a grin. Sending them death glares, she sulked over gloomily. Patting her crest in thanks, he and his counterpart carefully lowered Mewtwo onto her back, who sat up in surprise, staring down at Suicune and around at his surroundings.

The moon swan placed a hand on his shoulder for his attention. “You need your strength,” she gently told him, bringing herself to smile. “We're going to take you back to camp where you can rest.”

His breaths quickened, and he vigorously shook his head. “No, no... we are not leaving without Mew.”

“Mewtwo, you are our concern right now,” Darkrai stepped in. “I don't know where Mew went, but we'll come back for her.”

“No, you do not understand!” he exclaimed, starting to hyperventilate. “Mew is going to die! You saw her, you all did! She is in worse shape than I am! Legion tore her up before me, used her blood to bring this Tree back!”

Mesprit hurried over to place her hand on his forehead. “Mewtwo, please relax.”

He slapped her away. “Stop worrying about me!”

“Mewtwo, you're ill! You need to calm down!”

“How can I?!” he screamed, clutching at his head. The group cowered where they stood, shivering at his strong emotion. “You do not know what Legion has done to her or to me! He is hellbent on killing us slowly and painfully! H-He breaks you down... first mentally, which causes a domino effect where your emotions, willpower, a-and spirit just fail. A-And then... then...”

Latias tearfully pulled away from her brother to rush to his side, throwing a hug around his shoulders. He gaped at her for the longest moment, his body tense to the touch. She only stared back, visibly quivering from fright. He took a few heavy breaths until turning away, hesitantly raising a hand to grasp hers. The Eon dragon let out a small, happy cry and nuzzled him.

Latios, after getting over his shock, came up to pat him on the shoulder. Mewtwo looked back in awe with wide eyes. Following after were the rest of the group, one by one, to come surround him and show their support. It overwhelmed him upon realizing it wasn't just him who was suffering. He noticed for the first in a while the injuries they had, at how exhausted they were, and the deep emotions present on their faces gave them the appearance of aging.

He swiftly ducked his head to wipe at his eyes just to have Latias hold his hand back. “Don't hide things from us anymore, Mewtwo,” she pleaded. “It's what got us here in the first place.”

His heart clenched at how innocent-sounding her statement was. Though when he gazed back into her large, golden eyes, he was horrified to see the innocence had disappeared. She shuddered under his unblinking stare, then dropped his hand and glanced up at her sibling. Mewtwo and Latios made eye-contact for a split second until the clone broke away, flashing the vial still clutched in his hand.

Suicune let out an abrupt huff and nearly collapsed to her knees. “Damn it, guys, as much as I like this silence, I don't want to stand around here all day. I'm starting walking with or without you. I can't... keep this up forever.” She strained herself to wobbly step forward.

“Oh, not you too!” she groaned. “Come on, guys, get off my back about it, what's the deal? I can handle it! It's not like we're going to be running the whole time, which I wouldn't mind, again!”

“Groudon's willing to take him into his own hands if you want!” Rayquaza called out with a smirk.

The titan glared at the dragon. “Oh, screw you, you're bigger than I am!”

Giratina smacked him upside the head with a wing. “Quit complaining and get a move-on,” he growled. “And also keep your mouths shut. There's no telling what we'll run into on the way out.” That very statement concerned the other Legendaries, and they hurried to keep up with Suicune and the others.

Ignoring the increasing arguments over him, Mewtwo looked behind past the others for one last scan of the field. From what he could see, he took particular notice of the Pokémon doing nothing but watching them leave. It brought some concern to him. “Are they not coming with us?” he inquired to no one in mind.

The renegade shot a look down at him when he passed by. “Why should they? They did nothing for us.”

Palkia stole a quick glance. “This is their home. Why would they leave?”

Mewtwo frowned, nervously staring at a pair of crimson spires that seemed to be leading them out of the field. He wished he could tell them about Legion's plan, about why the Tree had come back, and that he was directly involved in its creation. He even wondered why it was they couldn't sense the dark aura around them. Weren't they suspicious about everything?

“`Kay, where should we go?” Entei muttered, looking the tunnel up and down. “Anyone remember how we got here?”

Shaymin bristled up a little. “Um... not really...”

“Dammit, we were supposed to pay attention?” Deoxys growled, kicking at a crystal.

“Wait, what are we doing exactly?” Jirachi piped up. “Are we escaping the Tree, or looking for Mew and then escaping?”

“If I had some time, I could examine the pathways and determine where we came from,” Regirock announced, making some Legendaries blink. He stood at the front, tilted forward as though he was examining the ground. “There are a lot of us, and there are more of those people who brought us here.” He paused for a moment, then gestured to their left. “Judging by how flattened this tunnel is on this half, this is the way we had come from.”

The group stared in befuddlement down at their feet, not seeing any difference. Rayquaza had to bend over, closing an eye tightly to peer at a rock. “Uh... where the hell did you pull that from?”

“He's an expert on rocks, why else is he made out of rocks?” Groudon grunted. “But I could have told you that, that's where I hit my head.” He pointed up at the ceiling. “I made that mark right there.”

“Oh, how would you know?” the dragon sneered. “Maybe I made that mark, since I am the tallest here.”

“You guys are so insensitive,” Articuno scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Mewtwo felt his insides squeeze the longer he stared down where Regirock confirmed their entrance. Slowly, he slid off of Suicune's back, regretting it almost immediately. Stumbling to the wall for support, he gasped out, “I came down from there.”

“Mewtwo, come back here!” the North Wind demanded. “You can barely walk!”

He barely gave him an acknowledging glance. “There are a lot of tunnels... so many twists and turns... but that was where I was held... somewhere up there...”

“...can I carry you up there?”

Giving the thunder beast a look, Celebi asked, “You sure, Mewtwo? How do you know?”

Mewtwo held up the vial to eye-level before clarifying. “...to be honest... I can feel it. I do not recognize anything that will physically prove I know... but something is telling me I came from there.” He carefully took a few steps forward. “And I feel... drawn to it.”

Darkrai swooped up to the front, holding him back. “Mewtwo, that is not a good sign,” he remarked, worry in his eye. “If anything, I think we should keep you away from it.” He was pushed away when the clone continued moving. Snatching an arm, he harshly proclaimed, “You're going to be in danger if you follow it! Something wants to kill you, Mewtwo!”

Fear touched the hearts of the Legendaries immediately, and they started to murmur amongst themselves. Cresselia approached the phantom, trying to maintain her composure. “What are you saying, Darkrai?” she whispered.

“You don't feel it, Cress? You really can't feel this lingering evil around here?” He grew more perplexed when she shook her head. “You serious? There's only a faint amount here, but it's powerful! Imagine what it must feel to be right by the one giving it off! In fact, I'm sure you felt it a good few hours ago! Remember? When Mew was here?”

“Darkrai, you're scaring me,” she stated boldly, though she was shivering. “I don't want to think about that anymore. Let's just get out of here.”

“Yes, let us just go!” Deoxys emphasized, shooing them forward. “The lady has a point, Darkrai! I want to get out of here as much as you do. Just let Mewtwo lead the way. Chances are he can find the exit like Detective Sher-Rock Holmes there can.”

“I am not leaving without Mew,” Mewtwo interjected, not bothering to turn around. “There is a fork up ahead... somewhere. If you had come from one way, and if I am not heading down that path, we will separate. I will catch up once I get Mew.”

“We are not leaving you behind,” Shaymin replied, glowering up at the psycat.

He stared down at her in surprise. “You are willing to leave Mew behind, but not I?”

“I didn't mean it like that, Mewtwo. The point is, you are not in the right condition to go looking for her. And if what Darkrai said is correct, there is no way you will make it.” She timidly stepped forward, and laid a paw on his foot. “We almost lost you today, Mewtwo... i-it is a miracle you are even awake after what happened. I admire your determination to save Mew... it must be because of your love for her that you are even alive. But Mewtwo... this Legion as you called her... he may have killed her. I-I hate to say this, but what if you were to find Mew, and it turns out to be her corpse? The shock is going to kill you if Legion doesn't.”

She took a long breath before lowering her voice. “I am willing to leave you with a choice, Mewtwo. You can choose to come with us, we'll return to camp where you can rest up, and when you're ready, come back to find Mew. Or you can go ahead and look for her when we come to that fateful crossroad, but we may never see you again, if it turns out I am right...”

The tunnel was deathly silent, everyone holding their breath to wait for his decision. He leaned against the wall when a sick feeling spread from his gut, staring pitifully at the ground. He held out the flask into his line of vision, trembling when he thought back to Shaymin's words. They pierced his heart just as much as Legion's had, though the one that stood out the most was the ill-fated possibility his searching would end in vain. The last he saw of her, she looked to have been down to the last of her blood, the body being very ghostly white, if not gray. Lack of nutrients was leaving her bony and very small. Indeed, even if Legion gave back Mew, she would never live. Even if she did, she would be driven insane, possibly incurable.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, and blinking back the tears, he grasped the vial tightly in his palm. “I am going for the latter,” he murmured. “You may be right, Shaymin... and if so, I want to be the last person she sees. I do not wish to have her die alone. When she dies... do not come for me. But until then, I will fight to the last heartbeat to bring her back. She is still in there... I know it.”

The hedgehog hung her head, and the Legendaries felt a sense of emptiness fall upon them. “...so be it,” she sighed out. “This may be the dumbest mistake you ever made... but I'll respect it.” Nodding her head down the tunnel, she added “Lead the way”, and fell silent.

Steadily, Mewtwo walked on, not wanting to meet the eyes of his friends as they slowly trekked down through the tunnel. He was at least glad everyone decided to be quiet, fearing they would attract attention. He remained far ahead despite his failing strength, pausing to rest when he thought he was leaving them behind, or whenever they hit a fork in the road. Regirock, without being asked, would check down each tunnel and point out the one that was the most likely one they had used. Secretly, the clone was thankful they had not reached the separation point. Though the longer they traveled, the stronger the tug grew. He was afraid Shaymin was right all along, and though the walk was painfully silent, their company made it easier to bear.

It was too good to last. They eventually hit multiple pathways, and the odds were against him. The rock golem took his time to inspect each tunnel, making nervous stomachs churn every time he came out and went for the next. Mewtwo stood still the best he could, staring at the entrances. He knew which one he had to enter, and though he was tempted to head for it, he willed himself to stay.

Finally, Regirock came to a conclusion. His heart dropped when he gestured to the far entrance on the right. Without glancing at the others, he knew they were upset when the silence grew deafening. Reluctantly, Shaymin went first, pausing at the tunnel's mouth to gaze over at Mewtwo. He saw the movement from the corner of his vision, but he kept his eyes ahead, unsure of what to say. Without a word, she walked in. It was difficult for the others to follow, going by individually as they looked over at him. He retained his stone-like stance even when a few drew near, wanting to comfort him only to pull back after some thought. Not one of the passing Legendaries spoke.

It was eerily cold once the last one left. Having not made a single twitch when they were in the room, Mewtwo began to feel his body tremble. His legs threatened to give out on him, so he went ahead and collapsed to his knees without a care. His hands went limp, releasing the vial to roll across the ground. He barely noticed once his emotions caught up to him, choking him in quiet, dry sobs.

Hanging and shaking his head, he hid a face into his palms. “I-I am so selfish!” his voice strangled out. “H-How could I make that decision? I cannot... ” Tearfully, he pushed himself to his feet, gulping down breaths. He grew confused about his words, thinking back to Shaymin's options. “What am I saying? I cannot leave Mew here... b-but I cannot abandon my friends either! What choice did I have? Could there have been another choice? I-I know there could be! But I... I...” The sadness had little time to bring him to self-pity before it momentarily evolved to anger. While upset at himself, he refused to cause self-harm, taking it out instead on the crystalline walls, cursing through his teeth. The rage was weakening him further, but he couldn't care less.

There then was the echo of a yell, making him freeze in mid-attack. Getting his breath and self-control back, he listened for it again. More screams accompanied the first one, and immediately he started to panic. Thoughts ran through his head, such as if he caused a cave-in, if they were suddenly fighting among themselves, or an ambush happened. He barely entered the tunnel they had gone through when he remembered the vial. Mewtwo fearfully scanned the chamber, finding slight relief when he saw it glint on the other side in a corner. He hurried over to it fast as he could, stomach twisting the moment there was a rumble. Clenching it in his hands, he entered the tunnel, cautiously keeping on his toes in case the group was to run around the corner.

Just when he reached the entrance to another passageway, herds of fleeing Pokémon galloped and flew out, scattering down the tunnel. Mewtwo hardly could get out of the stampede's way, at least grateful they dodged him in time when he couldn't. When the commotion passed by, he heard voices echo through followed by some thuds and cracking. Entering the path the Pokémon had arrived from, he was greeted with the sight of another field. As he inched for the exit, he watched dust clouds pick up and some attacks fly by. The shouts were more clearer now, and he was sure he was hearing someone ordering others around, and keeping “them in line”. He waited for his heart to slow down a little before peeking out. Mewtwo held back a gasp of horror at the cornered Legendaries, surrounded by the humans and Pokémon he had seen with them hours before. He couldn't see their faces, but their stances—and the chilling aura they were giving off—suggested they were very unhappy.

The group themselves had already taken a few beatings by the looks of it, though there was thankfully not enough blood to show there was an actual fight. If anything, they were on defense, and most of the damage to the area had to have been done by them. The psycat lay low in the shadows when one of them, a man whom looked familiar, stepped forward.

“I do not know how the hell you got away so easily,” he growled out, “you should be very lucky Legion did not give the word for us to slaughter you.”

The Legendaries in the front huddled closer, trying to hide their fright with glowers. “Tell this Legion to let us go,” Shaymin, crouching in her Sky Forme, demanded coolly. “Do not make us tear you apart.”

The human cackled, the other cronies following suit. “Fools! You have not learned the first time, have you? You cannot kill us! We are immortal!”

The man's hands clenched in fists. “The name is Jediah! But I do not blame you, I never really introduced myself.”

The renegade rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Jed, what are you, like, second-in-command?”

“I am Lord Legion's right-hand demon! I attend to his every needs!” He stood proudly in place, puffing out his chest. “If he does not want to get his hands dirty, I take it over for him!”

“Oh, so you're an ass-kisser.”

Some of the Legendaries, and a few of the humans and Pokémon snickered. (Mewtwo, as much as he thought it was slightly funny, winced.) Jediah quickly glared at them. “Am not! I was specifically hand-chosen by Legion himself! It is a great honor I have upheld for the past eternity! I am always doing my best, standing tall and on the go!”

Palkia elbowed Dialga with a smirk. “Something tells me he's compensating for something.” The two roared in laughter.

The man's ears turned red. “Like you should talk, dickhead!”

The Spatial Legendary guffawed. “Oh, like I hadn't heard that before!” He elbowed his rival again, only to glance over to see him gawking. His eyes widened nervously, glanced around at his staring peers, then twiddled his claws. “Uh... there are ladies present! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“To hell with it, you just crossed the line!” he spat out, waving it off. “I do not give a damn now what Legion will do to me after this, I am going to rip you apart and drag you down to Hell! But first...!” He spun around and pointed directly at Mewtwo, eyes blazing with fury. “Seize him!”

The clone stumbled over his feet at the shock, barely catching himself against the wall when a handful of the minions fell upon him. None of them were bigger than he was, but he proved too weak to fight them off. They dragged him out into the field where one of the humans pinned his arms behind him and booted harshly against his lower back to knock him forward in a kneel. Hissing between his teeth, he glared up beneath his brows at Jediah.

The man leered back in equal hostility. “You are no different,” he snarled. He tilted his head, a hint of curiosity in his narrow eyes. “This is the first time I really took a good look at you, is it not? Lord Legion called you Mewtwo.” He pinched the feline's chin to twist his head roughly to the side for a good look at his cord. “You do not look very natural.”

Mewtwo bared his fangs in place of speaking. The man raised a brow. “Sorry, did I hit a soft spot?” He chuckled, then released him. “Well, I do not know what you are, but you have this charisma about you. I can see why Legion felt you would be a good candidate. We need a strong, healthy generation.”

“Hey, pretty-boy, we're over here!” Deoxys sneered, waving his arms around. “What were you saying about ripping us apart and Hell?”

Jediah snapped his head over in his direction. Slowly, a menacing grin sneaked its way to his face. “Oh, I will rip you apart all right,” he purred. “I do not make promises it will be as clean like how Legion would have made it, though. If I feel like it, I will just let your hearts beat so rapidly, they explode, but what is the fun in that? I want your friend here to see you painfully suffer as much as I do.” He flashed the clone a wicked smirk. “I will let you decide how you want to die, whether you want it swift, or so time-consuming, you will be begging to be struck down from where you stand. But I am not going to let you. No, I enjoy screams! The best ones have their screams reach the heavens, and that is my goal for each of you! I want you to beg for death! I want you to wish me gone, even dead! Lightning, fire, I will take a tree as well, but either way I cannot die! You will have prayed in vain by the time I am done with you!”

The Legendaries cringed at his growing madness, some clinging on to one another in fear. Shaymin, while quivering on her feet, braved herself to bark out, “You do not mean all that, Jediah! You have never killed anyone in your life, Legion did that for you! You lived vicariously through him for so long, you were led to believe you can commit the same acts as he can!” She felt a pleasing twitch of a smile when she saw him tense up. “Face it, you may just be the right-hand demon, but that is all you will ever be. All you do is order others around to do the work you were supposed to do. Some demon you are, you are nothing but a coward. All you do is gloat about it, you never gave us any demonstrations. We are more afraid of your 'lord' than we are of you, and that is not something to be proud of!”

Mewtwo was impressed with the terrier's way of words, though the downside was the longer she talked back to him, the thicker the demon's aura became. He shook his head the entire time, hoping she would see him and clamp her mouth shut. She may have been right, but he felt in his gut Jediah had not been bluffing.

Veins popped from his temples and his eyes nearly bulged from his skull when he ground at his teeth. “That does it,” he snarled, knuckles cracking at the curling of his fists. Before their eyes, a dark flame burst to life around his hands. “You shall have the honor of being the first fatality by my hand. I will personally take you down. To. Hell.” With a loud, guttural roar, he sprinted forward—

—then abruptly froze in mid-jump, falling to his side with a thud.

Everyone in the area gaped at him, the Legendaries breaths catching in their throat at the strange sight. Mewtwo felt his heart skip a beat in surprise, and found relief at how easy he could slip his hands to his side. He heard a protesting grunt from behind him, almost pitiful, inducing him to look back at the wide-eyed, unblinking stare of the human who had held him down, motionless like a statue except for the rapid movement of his eyeballs. He struggled to his feet, noticing the others standing around were just as immobilized. Growing a little weirded out, he approached the group, grimacing at Jediah's crinkled face of rage, mouth open in a frozen yell. From deep inside his chest came identical hollow, unintelligible utterances.

Accidentally brushing up against Zapdos, he and the others jumped when the thunder bird let out a high-pitched scream of fright. Articuno hurriedly clamped his beak shut, feathers bristling. “Holy crap, Zapdos, that is uncalled for!”

Flapping his wings wildly, he pushed his sister away for a deep gasp. “Oh, good Lordy-Lord, what the freakity-freak just happened here?!” he squealed out. “He just, he... y-you all saw that, right? My eyes haven't gone bad? Did he, are they...?”

It wasn't until he finally calmed down did they dare take a closer look. Mesprit slowly reached down to poke his nose, shaking her head in disbelief. “It can't be... but it has to be...”

Get away from them, go up to the farthest wall.

They all turned their heads at that moment, looking for its source. “Oh great, now we're hearing things,” Rayquaza scoffed, folding his arms.

“I'm not even alone, and I can still hear voices!” Entei wailed, throwing his paws over his head. He paused for a moment to think on it. “It sounds a lot like Uxie's voice for some reason.”

Most scurried for the other side when prompted, the rest followed after a skeptical look (though Deoxys poked Jediah's face for a quick laugh). They pressed up against the rock the best they could to stare out at the mass of frozen bodies, a little disturbed at the sight. Then before they knew it, a white, shining beam shot down from the sky, making an incredible impact from the start. A strong wave of cold air was blasted at them, forcing them to huddle together until it blew off. Their jaws dropped at how the almost the entire field became a frozen wasteland within the few seconds it hit, hardly anything was recognizable under the ice.

Before any of them could find the words or the breath for a “wow”, a pillar of spiraling fire came roaring down, sending heat flares across the field. The Legendaries let out cries of shock, shielding their eyes from the luminosity of it all and trembling from the hot temperature. It cooled just as fast as it had come, worrying the group about their physical well-beings. Gingerly, they looked up, marveling in awe at the singed vegetation and at how there was no patch of grass in the very middle. And in the very center of it were piles of ashes where the bodies had been.

They were all then further taken aback when Ho-oh and Kyogre swooped into view from above, pleased looks upon their faces. As much as they couldn't show it at the moment, everyone's hearts soared with gratitude. Shaymin happily stepped forward when the phoenix perched, not bothering to hold back her tears and joy.

“You made it!” she chirped, hopping in place. “Oh, thank the heavens you made it!”

He smiled down at her, rustling his feathers when he sighed. “You had me worried, all of you did.” He raised his twinkling eyes up at the group. “I trust you're all doing fine?”

Deoxys slapped himself to let out a frustrated growl. “Damn it, Ho-oh, what is wrong with you?! You trying to kill us or something with that show?!”

The bird chuckled. “I missed you too, Deoxys.”

The alien then swerved his head over at the levitating whale, and pointed a finger at him. “And you! How the hell did you get up there?! Were you also trying to kill us?!”

“Well good afternoon to you, too,” he grunted, rolling his eyes. “See if I try saving your ass again.”

Mesprit began looking around nervously. “Uxie, Azelf! Where are you?” She jumped and squeaked when her brothers materialized before her. They wrapped their arms around her when she cried and hugged them tightly.

Darkrai grinned. “So that explains everything!” he exclaimed with a laugh, reaching out to shake their hands. “You still got it, Azelf! Kudos! And thanks for warning us, Uxie!”

He merely shook his head with a smile. “Not a problem. But, I think you're missing another detail.” He pointed at the ground with one of his tails, and everyone blinked down at a noticeable difference in greenery. It was as though nothing at their end of the field had been touched at all. “I would have done it with you all out there, but it seemed much more easier to enclose everyone in a tight spot.” He shot a sly smirk. “And I knew the attacks couldn't affect you at this distance, not when there were some trees that took the blow for you.” His sister squeezed him harder in thanks.

Zapdos peered around the desolate area, placing his wings on his hipbone. “I still feel we're missing someone.”

Lugia burst a large hole in the wall charging in without warning, letting out his signature shrill cry. He trailed off when he met the wide-eyed stares of the Legendaries. “Oh, did I miss the butt-kicking?”

“Where the heck did you wander off to?” Kyogre wondered with a scowl.

“For one thing, the underwater mazes to get to a body of water were difficult,” he counted off snappishly on a feather, “next to the fact those pathways are so bloody tight. Another is that I arrived in the wrong field, and thus I had to fly around the Tree to find you guys. And then it's because there's no lake in this one, so of course I wouldn't arrive that way.”

“You could have just contacted us about it.”

He pouted a little, folding his wings. “Hadn't thought of that,” he grumbled. He glanced over at the group to spot Mewtwo, and a grin spread on his beak. “All right, we found Mewtwo! How you doing, you nearly gave us a heart attack when you up-and-left!” Then his face faltered into a horrified expression. “Oh good Lord, what the heck happened to you? I mean, what did you do to yourself these past three days?”

The psycat blinked, leaning up against the wall when he couldn't stand straight any further. “What do you mean 'three days'? Mew and I have been gone that long?”

“Speaking of which, where is Mew?” Lugia craned his neck. “I don't see her.”

Ho-oh frowned, stepping forward for a better look at Mewtwo's figure. “What happened here?” he asked him. He cast his eyes about at the others, matching the sea guardian's surprise. “What's with these injuries?”

“Did those humans have anything to do with it?” Azelf spoke up sternly. “And what about the Tree? Why is it back?”

The Legendaries flinched a little at the questions, many of them shrugging and shaking their heads. The clone, knowing those inquiries were for him, only dropped his eyes when he shivered. He raised his hand to stare at the vial, surprised it was still intact. The five newcomers leaned in for a glimpse of it.

The phoenix let out a sigh through his nostrils. “Do you know anything about this, Mewtwo?” he whispered slowly.

Closing his eyes, he nodded. “Yes... for the most part.”

Leaning back, he brushed back his limp crown.“Well, you can fill us in later, this is not the place to talk about it. The humans are going to regenerate any minute now.”

“Wait, how'd you know about that?” Celebi gasped. “Are there actually more of them out there?”

“Doesn't matter, we're where they want us,” Ho-oh said bitterly. “We have to leave before they come back to life.”

“Too late,” Giratina murmured, whose eyes had never once wavered from the field.

Everyone turned for a look, some barely holding back curses at the sight of numerous pillars of ash building up on nonexistent wind. They all collected themselves to reform the ankles on up in a swift flourishing movement. Smaller bodies were finishing up by this time and had regained mobility, moving about and their hands clenching. The atmosphere became heavy, the sign of their rage.

Shaymin gritted her teeth. “What now, sir?” she growled, her leadership passing back to the Sky Guardian.

Ho-oh shot a wary look up at him. “There is no other choice. There is nothing we can do.”

“Sir, we are in no condition to fight!” Suicune spoke out for the others. “We were escaping for a reason, to go into hiding and heal!”

“You wouldn't have been able to get far. It's a miracle we managed to break in.”

Most of the humans had by this time recovered, glaring daggers into the group, some even shouting out death threats. Jediah's lower face was finished by this time so he could shout out “On my command!”, his body getting into fighting stance. “Do not hold back, kill them if you must!”

Hesitantly, everyone silently stepped forward into a line of defense, falling into their own attack postures. Mewtwo had just gotten into position when Ho-oh pushed him back. “Mewtwo, go find Mew,” he murmured. “Whether this is directly related to you or not, you are the only one who is able to reach her.”

He shook his head and tried to plead his case. “Ho-oh, let me fight as well. I cannot leave my friends—”

“Don't argue with me. You are in no condition for this. I do not know what is going on here, but this has to be related to yours and Mew's disappearance. Do you have an idea where she may be?”

The clone glanced over at the hole Lugia had made, feeling a pull towards it. “...my guess is she is in the Heart.”

“Do you know where it is?”

He swallowed nervously. “That I am unsure about. But I feel I am being led to her... somehow.”

The phoenix nodded, looking back at the humans. He crossed visions with the man in front, and immediately he felt pure hatred pierce him in the gut. Unable to look away, he reached back to nudge him off. “Good luck, Mewtwo. We'll come for you if we survive this.”

His heart ached at the sincerity in his voice. With one last scan of the Legendaries, he quickly slipped out of the field, then rested up against the wall by the exit for a listen.

“You fool, don't just stand there, run!” Ho-oh's order followed after before he was overtaken by determined shouts from both the enemy and his friends.

The clashing battle outside kept him in place out of guilt until the demon's further addition made his stomach churn. “Summon the blood cells and have the guards search the Tree! I WANT HIM ALIVE!”

He finally willed his legs to move, allowing himself to be overtaken by the pull to clear his thoughts away. He barely cleared the corner when he saw a bubbling pile of gelatinous mass forming itself before him, almost like it was crawling out through the ground. It was shaped of that like an Omastar, and when most of its tentacles were out, it shot forward to wrap around his arm. Mewtwo quickly found his sense of balance and pulled himself backward, though it did little. His heart skipped when it bounced straight at him, so acting on instinct, he shot a psychic blast directly into it, causing it to explode.

Shaking off the shock and remains, with a quick glance back where the battle was taking place, he ran down the tunnel.

Severe or not, there is Mood Whiplash ahead. Not that you needed to know if you got this far.

This is “R” for a reason. Reader discretion is advised.

Enjoy!

*~*~*~*

Chapter Seventeen:Confrontation

“My first cry never-ending
All life is to fear for life
You fool, you wanderer
You challenged the gods and lost”
--“Planet Hell”, Nightwish, “Once”

*~*~*

For the whole time they stood before it, the Veil was curiously rippling like someone was batting at it on the other side. As hypnotizing as it was, it brought some concern to Mew. “Does it always do this?”

The girl gave a slight shrug. “I'm not entirely sure. The only time I can think of when it did this was when the world ended, only more violently. Though whenever a multitude of people dies, it does move a lot, if that's what you're asking about.”

Her heart clenched in fear. “Y-You mean... they're dying?”

“You can say that.” Amber hung her head a little. “They're losing. They haven't had time to get their strength back. Even if they were perfectly healthy, the strength of these demons are unlimited. They cannot fight them on their own.”

Shaking her head, the feline grasped tightly onto her sleeve. “But Amber! They can't die! They just can't!”

“That's why I brought you back here. You have to take back your body, and you and Mewtwo have to destroy the Tree.”

Amber gave a short nod. “You are, but you have to kill it when it's neutralized.”

“But why?!” came the abrupt cry. “Isn't it already dying anyway?!”

The girl's head hung, a look of hurt on her face. “It's very ill, so naturally it would be,” she sighed out. “If we keep it alive, it will poison the whole earth. Besides, the world doesn't need it anymore... it isn't fulfilling its original purpose now that you are no longer its guardian.”

Mew let out a quiet whimper, looking back at the writhing Veil. She trembled from the mixture of anger and sadness shooting throughout her body, feeling the blood pumping through the open wounds weakly. Staring ahead, she choked down her sobs as her mind wandered back to her friends fighting on the other side. She could sense their distress, could even feel the flicker of souls at the edge of death. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew they weren't going to make it.

When the child's hand curled around her fingers, she squeezed back. Amber's voice was calm, almost dark. “Mew... I must warn you that the moment you pass through, Legion will sense you there, maybe even see you. It is a very difficult task to enter back into your body and cast him out, but I know you can do it.” Releasing her paw, she gently pet her head. “You are strong enough to fight back... and as long as your will overpowers his, he can never possess you again.”

The petite Legendary let out another small whimper, hanging her head to close her eyes. She was supposed to feel comforted by her soft hand, but somehow couldn't bring herself to relax. Grasping at her arms when she shivered, she murmured without looking up, “Amber... please tell me how you died.”

She gave a sad smile, pulling her hand back and gazing up at the endless curtain. Standing straight, she started off. “I was born into a good, loving family. We lived well for living out in the developing suburbs, what with Papa being a scientist. This meant that at most times, he was away working, so it was Mama and I for most days. But luckily, Papa had one day off a week so we could spend time together. We would go out for drives, walks in the park, the movies in town, just about whatever. We were very happy together. I think Mama and Papa were ready to give me a brother or sister.”

Amber giggled lightly before sighing. “One day, we went for a drive. It was normal, and it was a sunny day. I hadn't sat by the window before this time, so I felt bigger sitting right behind Papa. I was on my knees like I usually did, watching Papa work the wheel... when all of a sudden, this large truck came for us. Papa had to turn very hard, Mama was horrified, and I barely caught myself from falling to the floor. And then the car flipped over, and we rolled over into a ditch. We hadn't worn our seat belts. Mama and Papa managed to get through okay, but I was bleeding very badly. Paramedics arrived just as I passed out from laughter... talking to Papa about becoming a star...”

Mew had her full attention on her by this time, her eyes widening in silent shock. The young lass seemed to feel her stare upon noticing she had trailed off. “I had returned home for maybe no longer than an hour or so when Father told me He had something special for me. My parents had separated down on Earth when Papa became obsessed about bringing me back. Father was sad about it all, but He told me He was willing to give Papa a second chance. I knew Papa was working for a wicked man out of desperation, and that man wanted a very powerful Pokémon in return. He agreed, and I watched as Papa took a trip to the Amazon where they stayed for a good few months before they found a fossil. They studied it carefully while Papa worked in the background to make a new body of myself. This was when Father asked me to go inhabit the new body for a short while until He called me back. So when it was ready, I went back down. Because I passed through the Veil, I had to forget about what Heaven was like, but I guess Father allowed me to keep some memories. I was also able to see spirits from time to time. But they were the bad spirits... they told everyone there bad things...”

The feline laid a hand on her shoulder when Amber started to quake. They gazed at each other for a few moments before the girl took a breath. “Sorry about that,” she apologized, brushing away her bangs. “I was there in that tube for quite some time. Papa would talk to me about the current events, about his own private thoughts. He was heartbroken ever since I died and Mama left him. I had asked once where she went. He didn't really say, though he had mentioned something about her probably seeing another man. He never knew Mama killed herself. Imagine my surprise when I saw her standing and crying behind Papa when he was working. That was the only time I saw her.”

Mew spotted a tear at the corner of her eye before the girl blinked it away. “Well, after a while, Papa and his group figured out about the DNA, and they created Mewtwo's body and a few other Pokémon as well.” A tiny smile found its way to her lips. “I watched as their spirits descended into the bodies to give them life. I didn't know then why that was, but I do now. Father wanted Papa to learn a lesson from all this. He loved Papa very much, that he was trying to humble him about life. Papa never accepted the fact I was dead, and he forgot all the things he taught me about life.

“It took a few months before Mewtwo and the others matured enough to have strong brainwaves. I decided then to contact them. They were confused, and yet curious. I had grown to love them by this time, so when I had finally talked to them, and began answering their questions, I felt like a big sister to them, even a mother-figure. So I taught them to count, how to spell, to memorize body parts and what they do...” She giggled. “I even went ahead to show them what the outside world looked like, like where I lived, what my Papa and his workers ate and drank, all kinds of things. We had fun together, and I was happy to see they were growing up. I had felt a strong bond towards Mewtwo the moment Papa introduced him to me, and thus I was very close to him. During the many months we were together, he had this undying love for learning. He was always saying to me, 'More, Amber, more! I want to learn more!'”

The two found themselves chuckling over it. Mew grinned at imagining a young Mewtwo tugging on Amber's dress and asking many questions. “Wow, Amber, how did you manage to answer all of his questions?” she inquired. “You two were young, how did you do it?”

“I don't know myself. I suppose as a child, you just know everything.” Then her face suddenly faltered, and the Legendary felt in her heart something was wrong. She was quiet for a minute, eyes glazing over in a faraway look until she gradually found her way back to reality. “And then one night... we were looking at the moon above us, just talking. Well actually, he was asking questions, and I was answering him, like always. Then he asked me 'Why are we born?', to which I told him there was a mother and a father. He wanted to know who his parents were... and I was stumped for the first time. I had almost forgotten why he was there, why I was there. When one is growing in a tube in a laboratory, you don't learn the important things in life, like what a family is, what love is, and so on. In fact, by this time, I didn't know Papa anymore. He had become so different, and was gone a lot, I nearly forgot he was even there. Even though Mewtwo was being created to be something else entirely, I made sure he was loved everyday. I made sure he laughed all the time, in the hopes he would remember it when he was out doing... whatever they were going to make him do.”

Amber reached over to clasped hands with Mew. “The only answer I could come up for him was that God was his parent... and that He was mine, even though Papa was technically my father. Then I ended up telling him he was a Pokémon, and he thought I was one as well. Which is funny in a way, since the first time we met, that was the first thing I taught him. I told him Pokémon are a little stronger than humans, hinting that he was in perfect health. Did I mention that my body was weakening every day while in that tube?”

Though she shook her head, the feline murmured, “But I figured that was the case. You never did step foot outside of the tube, did you?”

The girl squeezed her paw before resuming. “It was at that moment I heard my name being called. Not physically, but in my heart. 'Amber, your work is done. It's time to come home.' And I felt my body begin to die. Mewtwo didn't know what was wrong, but I couldn't tell him I was dying. I just couldn't... so I told him to live... and that I was thankful to have been with him. Then he began to cry, not knowing why he was. It was then I realized something. Whether it was because of his DNA, or my doing, he was part-human. Pokémon rarely cry, and when they do, it's because they hurt. However, Pokémon have feelings, they always have. It's what makes them human if only for a moment. There are those special Pokémon who are more human than we are, Mewtwo being one of them. He didn't know why I was leaving, but he understood enough that he was upset. He cried for me... screamed out my name as I ascended back into Heaven.

“I was honestly upset myself, even told off Father about it. He is very understanding, and He reminded me that I was going to die even had my body survived into adulthood. That's the curse of mortality. Mewtwo is going to live a long life, longer than most Pokémon, so he would have out-lived me anyway. But happily, I was assigned to be Mewtwo's guide, or guardian angel as you put it, and I've watched him since.”

She closed her eyes for a few moments, smiling at the memories of her friend. When she looked down at Mew, the Legendary was holding back her sobs, her tears dripping off her cheeks. Feeling a sensation of sympathy, gratitude and sadness, Amber knelt down to throw her arms around her tiny companion. The feline returned the hug, burying her face into her chest to weep. They held each other for what they hoped to have been a long, peaceful time, the worries of the other side forgotten for the moment to make room for the impact of emotions. The girl calmly rubbed Mew's back, not bothering to fight back the stray tears that found their way out.

Before long, all she could hear was the hiccups stifling themselves in her dress. Laying her head between her ears, the angel whispered in a loving tone, “Mew... thank you for your tears. But please don't cry for me. I had my chance to cry, and I chose to go out with a smile. Mewtwo's tears couldn't bring me, his best friend, back to life. What chance do you have of bringing me back to life? I have been dead for hundreds of years, my mortal body is long gone. Mewtwo will not remember me. But you will.” After a squeeze to her shoulder, Amber stood up and clasped her hands, stepping back a few feet.

Mew gazed tearfully at her shining smile, feeling no desire to leave her. It tore at her heart when the girl slowly shook her head. “I cannot keep you here any longer,” she sighed out. “It's not your time right now. Mewtwo is looking for you, he's in desperate need for your help than I am. Go to him, and live. We will be here when you return.”

The feline sniffled. “'We'?”

A wide grin spread on her bright face, and she extended her arms out beside her. Dissolving out of the darkness came a silver film from behind. Upon taking a closer inspection, the Legendary slowly gasped in awe, watching as personages walked into view. On one side stood a throng of people, dressed all in white, in robes or dresses, with loving smiles on their faces. Though she was quite sure it was because she had been in the Spirit World for so long, she felt she knew many, if not all of them. Flashing through her mind were images of them in their mortal life, from when she saw them as children, as adults, and in between. They were the few who knew of her existence, the few who kept their encounters prized in their hearts, never telling another soul about it. Many were pure in their hearts, others were courageous, while some were misguided for a time. As she cast her eyes about them, they all nodded in silent encouragement.

Placing a hand to her heart, Mew looked over to see a multitude of Pokémon standing in the same manner as the humans. And much like with them, she knew every one. Together in one place like a family were the clones, along with their originals and families. She felt joy at how they had found their happiness, their own special place on this side of the Veil. It took her a few moments before she recognized the larvae children as how they were as adults, catching the innocence in their eyes. She had to cover her mouth when she sobbed, feeling the tears once again. Closing her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath before looking back up, and nearly gasped. Standing close by was a figure very much like herself, albeit slightly bigger. Everything was how she still remembered about her, from her posture to her eyes—she had never forgotten the eyes. She had missed the love that dwelled deep inside them from the day she was born; it was the love that taught her hope and life.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she rushed forward and threw her arms around her with a wail. “Oh, Mother, you're back, you're back!” She received a tight hug and a nuzzle against her head as a reply. A quiet purr escaped from Mew, and she squeezed her more. “I missed you so much, Mother, it's been... it's been forever.” Grasping her mother's paws, she smiled tearfully. “I never forgot you, I swear. But you were gone so quickly... I stayed hidden for a couple of days waiting for you to return, but you never did. I was so alone...”

Her parent only raised a hand to wipe at her eyes, and almost immediately her childlike instincts made her mumble a protest, bringing a smile to her mother's face. “You did well, dear,” she sighed out. Her voice was softer than she remembered it to have been. “I'm proud of you. I had faith in you ever since you were conceived. And now, here you are, a beautiful, strong, mature female who knows her purpose in the world.”

Mew blushed a little, hanging her head. “Actually, Mother... I prefer being called a 'woman'.”

To her surprise, she grinned. “Even better.”

She smiled as well until a thought came to her head. Lifting her head to scan the crowd, she frowned a little. “...where's my father?”

Her mother's smile never faltered, though it became sad. “He's not with us. We were... not as close as we thought we were.”

Mew felt something sink in her chest, and her arms dropped. The desire to see her father's face depleted from the disappointment. “I'm sorry...”

“Don't be, I'm more happy for you. I was honestly surprised how you and Mewtwo have gotten along over the past few centuries. Though to tell you the truth, you didn't have any other choice.”

“Mother!”

She laughed heartily at the heavy blush on her daughter's face. “Oh ho ho, I waited all these years to finally say that! That's one thing off my chest.”

“Don't tell me you have more!” she groaned in disbelief.

“I'll save those some other time, mostly for when your mate is around.” And she laughed again.

Mew's ears flattened a little in embarrassment when she dropped her eyes. She loosened up when two familiar characters stepped forward, big smiles on their faces. “Pikatwo, Meowtwo! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!” She reached down to give them hugs.

They returned it awkwardly before the Pikachu cleared his throat. “We just wanted to say we're so happy you and Mewtwo are together. Meowtwo and I and the others were worried he'd be alone forever. He never did show interest in finding a mate.”

“But boy was he jealous of us,” Meowtwo smirked, nudging his friend. “I could tell by the way he looked at our kids. You noticed?”

“To me, he looked like he was plotting to eat them.”

The Legendary stole a quick glance at her mother, nervously grinning. “Mewtwo would never do that.”

“Oh yeah, he wouldn't,” Pikatwo agreed. “He'd just go on saying how he was never going to have kids. But we know better.”

“It was only a matter of time.” The Meowth raised a quirky brow at Mew. “Isn't that right, Mew?”

She twiddled her fingers in further anxiety. “Yeah... um... was that all you wanted to tell me?”

“Naw, just came by to say hello, maybe introduce you to the kids, and say good luck.”

Pikatwo rolled his eyes, hiding a chuckle. “Thanks for keeping him company, Mew,” he added, giving a thumbs-up. “We really appreciate you looking out for the big guy. If we weren't so caught up all the time, we would have visited him more often instead of him looking for us whenever he felt like it.”

“You were 'caught up,' I was baby-sitting,” Meowtwo muttered, shooting him a look.

Mew forced herself to laugh to brush off the awkwardness. “Oh, you are so welcome, you two! But you seriously didn't have to thank me. I have always enjoyed being with Mewtwo. I should thank you two for keeping him sane for so long. I would have been unable to without you two.”

They both blushed and gave toothy grins.

Her heart soaring, she grasped their faces to plant a kiss to their foreheads (giggling when they bristled in shock) before pulling away. Turning back around, she smiled at her mother and gave her one last hug. “Thank you for everything,” she murmured, snuggling into her neck. “You did your best to care for me, and though you didn't teach me everything, that belief that I'd see you again has always been with me. It kept me alive this long... I think I can last another hundred years without you.”

She cupped her face when they separated. “I know you can. I let you go sooner than I would have liked, but I honestly cannot see it happening any other way.” She gently kissed her daughter's forehead. “Go to him, sweetheart. He needs you more than I do.”

Nodding, Mew headed back for the Veil, pausing before it for one last look. When a thought came to mind, she frowned solemnly, hanging her head. I'm going to forget all of this... am I?

“Only when you enter your body again.”

She lightly gasped, spinning around to face whoever spoke. Her eyes widened at the sight of a tall, beautiful woman standing a few feet away. She took in her white countenance, at how silver and lengthy her hair was, the angel sleeves and dress trailing on the ground—her perfection in general. When they made eye-contact, blue-on-sapphire, Mew felt at peace and a love she had nearly dismissed. She wavered in place, overwhelmed at it all.

“...Amber? This... this is you?”

The woman grinned brightly and nodded. “This is my perfect body, the way Father made me.” She let out a laugh similar to that of her younger self. “There is a reason I remained as a child for you, Myriam.”

The feline's heart jolted. “How do you know my name? O-Only my close family members can...”

Amber stepped forward to kneel before her. “I will give you a few guesses, and the first two do not count.” She winked, sending Mew into shivers. Tilting her chin up, she resumed, “You know, I recall that many years ago, Mewtwo made a promise to himself to never cry. How can you blame him, being forced to become someone he is not. But though his heart did soften over the years, he remained strong in that belief because he believed he is strong enough not to.” A sweet smile manifested itself on her smooth face. “You are very special to him, Myriam. I hope you realize that.”

Mew couldn't keep her tears back when they came on their own accord. She was vaguely aware it wasn't a regular cry. “Thank you for showing me that, Amber,” she murmured. “I fought it for so long... I was so upset... and so selfish...” Hiccuping, she gazed back up at her, and quietly lamented, “I-I don't want to forget. I want to remember you a-and everything you told me.”

The angel gave a surprisingly mischievous smile. “I will see if I can tweak some strings. I do not promise you will remember everything though.” Giggling, she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to her forehead. “I will see you later, Myriam. Be careful.” She stepped back to be among the crowd.

Taking in the multitude, hoping it will be burned into her subconscious, Mew waved to them, bringing a small smile upon her face. Then, deeply inhaling, she carefully slipped through the Veil.

*~*~*

Mewtwo had underestimated himself. He wasn't unsure where the Heart was, he was exactly unsure. He knew where the so-called bedchamber was, but he guessed where to go from there. Legion had taken care not to show him too much of the Tree, and even from what he could see, everything looked the same. The only sense of direction he had was the dismay deep inside him. He was certain he was sensitive enough to the demon's aura by the way it gripped his heart. The closer he got, the more he shivered and willed himself to continue forward.

He strained his broken body beyond its limits and necessities the further he climbed. He feared going through the tunnels, as any sound he'd make would be reverberated off the crystalline walls and possibly attract the minions or white blood cells. It didn't help that his labored breathing often choked him, and there were plenty of loose rocks he slipped on. While resting or in hiding, he tried to heal himself, though he was still fairly weak to do much more than close up the shallow wounds. He would stare at the vial still clenched in his hand, arguing with himself about drinking it or not. His heart overcame him every time.

Upon rounding a corner, his back stung when a sharp chill ran down his spine, forcing Mewtwo to claw into the wall to keep his balance. He swallowed down nausea amidst his rapid breathing, staring in horror at the entrance looming down the tunnel. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the Heart, feeling a strong tug in its direction like it was reeling him in—it called for him. It was the sight of Legion in front of the lily that kept him from running inside. The psycat's knees quaked as he gazed at Mew's back, now on the brink of tears.

Shaking his head to clear a headache, he turned away, taking in deep breaths. “Calm down, Mewtwo,” he murmured to himself, despite it making his tremors worse. “Y-You can do this... you stood up to Legion before... just have to destroy the Heart...”

Glancing at the water, he gingerly made his way toward the room, trying desperately to keep from falling to a crawl. The aura spilling from the chamber was very heavy, a sign the demon wasn't happy. His palms began to sweat, making it harder to grip onto the wall and the vial without worry of cracking it. He avoided looking at Legion as he advanced inside, finding it hard to breathe. He quietly eased down to his hands and knees when he couldn't stand any longer and slipped behind a spire.

I have to go around, he thought as he assessed the Heart. I hope there are enough of these crystals to keep me concealed—

“It is meaningless to think you can roam around undetected,” Mew's voice stated in a matter-of-fact tone, startling him. “The crystals react to your presence, strangely enough.” There was a short pause. “And also, you are wheezing a bit. You are not in the condition to move. How you got here without passing out eludes me.”

Sucking in a harsh breath (thus proving her point even further), Mewtwo stood up. Mew had made no indication she had looked behind her. The only visible movement was her rhythmic flicking of the wrist. He found himself nearly mesmerized by it.

“Did you want something, darling?” she inquired of him. “Thinking about apologizing for what you said to me? For what you did to me?” She rolled her head in a circle so small pops could be heard, making him flinch. “You have some explaining to do.”

Slightly shaking his head, he responded, “I-I came to stop you, Legion.”

A quiet, cruel laugh immediately escaped her. “With that attitude? Hell, you cannot even stand without supporting yourself. What makes you think you are adept enough to challenge me?”

“Legion, you have tormented us long enough,” he added on, quickly stepping away from the spire. “I ask of you to release Mew and leave us in peace.”

She laughed again, most likely as a mockery. “I was half-expecting you to beg for release. Guess I have been underestimating you.” She fell silent for a long moment, the aura becoming a large burden on the clone's shoulders. He shifted nervously where he stood, daring to step closer, hardly looking away from her circling wrist. “By the way, Mewtwo, since you reminded me, I have a small question to ask of you.”

He started to subconsciously roll the flask around in his palms. “What is the question?”

Legion waited through another heavy moment before speaking up. “Have you talked to Mew lately?”

Mewtwo shivered a little as he dropped his eyes, choking on his breath. How did he know? “I, uh... I-I have.”

“When?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I ask the questions,” she snapped, her knuckles cracking when she clenched her fists. “When did you last talk to Mew?”

He carefully chose his next words, even taking the time to prevent himself from stumbling. “E-Erm... well... I am not entirely sure if I did speak to her, I had passed out from blood-loss from when you... taught me a lesson.” He bit his lip nervously at the memory. “If I have to venture a guess, it would have been between three to five hours ago.”

“Just say 'today',” she snarled, losing patience according to her tone. “You talked to her today.”

“I talked to her today,” he repeated pitifully.

She lifted her head slightly. “And? What did you two talk about?”

Mewtwo held himself when he shivered, thinking back to the event. He remembered her calling his name, sounding more desperate with every breath. When he did respond, she had a complete one-eighty, begging him to leave, to not come further or he would die. He was still confused about her claim that on her side was the “spirit world”, though he couldn't see anything else. He truly wanted to be with her, to hold her, to love her, but most importantly, to bring her back. She kept refusing, screaming about being a murderer and at how she killed herself despite it not being her fault. So then...

He frowned slightly, glancing back up at the demon. He couldn't tell him. The memory was as clear as day, but it was what he had experienced that was keeping him quiet; it was too special, too sacred to tell Legion. They had both felt it at once, every single emotion they went through, the exchanging of souls... he had heard her inner self pleading with him to not go. It was as though she knew what was going on, and what might happen.

“Well? What did you talk about?”

He shook his head, closing his eyes. “I cannot say.”

“Why not?”

“It is only between Mew and I.”

“Can you tell me what you were doing, though?”

Legion was growing more agitated, he could sense it in the air. He quietly let out a shaky breath. “I cannot say that either.”

He glanced back up when he heard the demon scoff. “Thought so. But no matter, I already know the answer to that.” Slowly, Mew glanced over her shoulder, her iris glinting dangerously. “You two kissed.”

He felt his heart clench. “Why would it concern you?” he muttered. “We have kissed a few times before this.”

Her eye narrowed. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“I do not.”

“That is a lie.” She spun around to face him fully. The shadows splitting across her face frightened him when she strode forward. As much as he wanted to back away, to separate himself from the terror before him, he found his feet were refusing to obey. “You know what you have done,” Mew snarled, flexing her fingers. “You knew she was dead. You knew what would have happened if you kissed. You knew of the renewal of the covenant. You knew the opportunity was there, and you took it!” She paused before him at eye-level, her glare freezing his insides. “You do know what you have done, Mewtwo, now say it!”

His voice nearly cracked when he exclaimed, “I only kissed her! We did nothing else!”

“LIAR!” He cowered at the high intensity and the echoes it left behind. “YOU ARE A LIAR! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! YOU BOTH DO!” She sharply cut her tail across his cheek, slicing it on a molar. “Mates for life, was that not what the Mew species did?! How is it, then, that you two could become eternal mates?! How?!” She repeated the slap on the other side.

She smacked him once more, hard enough to slam him into a spire. “Do not pretend you do not know what it means! You know what you have done, you cannot deny it!” Watching him struggle to pull himself back up, she raised the left arm before her and slashed at the gash. The clone let out a startled gasp upon feeling a searing fire shoot through his limb, almost dropping the vial. He raised his eyes just when she calmly sunk her claws into her cheek, right onto the wounds, and slit it deeper down to her jaw.

It was the most horrendous sensation he had felt in a long time. He screamed not from the pain, or that it felt like bugs under his skin, but at how mellow Legion was about ripping apart Mew's body. Her expression barely changed from when the corners of her lips twitched at his sensory suffering.

“Stop it, Legion!” he shouted, struggling not to scratch at his face to rid himself of the feeling. “Please, stop, she is damaged enough already!”

The demon barked out a short laugh, dropping her hand to her side. “You are so typical, so quick to jump to conclusions. I am just making a point here. You see, now that you are of one mind and spirit, in a sense, if Mew ever hurts herself, you feel that very pain. If she is happy, sad, angry, of any emotion, you will either sense it or develop that emotion as well. If you were ever separated from one another, you can communicate with your hearts. Even from beyond the grave.”

A smirk spread when Mewtwo shuddered, still rubbing his face as he swallowed deep breaths to calm himself down. She circled him, taking care to run her tail across his shoulders to send him into shivers. “But then again... it all depends on the strength of your bond. You can be eternal mates and still not be close. You two do not have to worry about that. If I am not mistaken, you two are very close. However, despite that tight bond, there are ways to break it, if only very few. One of them is for having one of you dead for too long a period of time. If the other half is tired of waiting for their half to return to them, they may find another mate. Which leads to the next possible way to break the bond...”

She let out a breathy chuckle, lowering herself down to his level and taking his chin into her paw. “It is something you may be familiar with, honey, having watched the humans do it for years. Unless you had the other mate's permission, you cannot get yourself a new mate, even for a one-night stand. But mates rarely share each other, even as spirits. Infidelity is very frowned upon on the other side.”

He jerked away. “What are you getting at?”

She leaned in to touch noses, running a finger down his jawbone. “You know what I want.”

Shivers painfully racked his figure. “What do you want me to do?”

It felt like his heart had stopped when he saw the wicked gleam in her demonic eyes. She sensually licked her lips as her grin widened, and she drawled out her answer. “Fuck me. Hard.”

With little time to react, Legion pounced on Mewtwo, wrestling him to the ground with ease. The clone's head smacked against one of the larger spires, stunning him enough to be pinned into the concave corner. He felt the bottle slip along his fingers, but was distracted when Mew sunk her claws into his face as she devoured his mouth, cutting her tongue past his lips. He shot his hands forward to push her off only for them to aggressively be repelled by an invisible force, and lay paralyzed on the crystals above him. With a chuckle, she thrusted herself further against his lean body. Breathless, he struggled to put space between them to find he was completely flattened to the spire with barely any wriggle room.

He let out a pleading whimper to which she obliged in messily pulling back to give him air. “Re—Release me!” he managed to pant out, his eyes stinging from his forming tears.

With a smirk, she slurped the saliva off his chin, then bit her way down his throat and chest. Mewtwo fidgeted when her tail began stroking between his thighs, inducing his body heat to climb. The further Mew slid down his torso, the more he desperately fought against his restraints. He squinted at the harsh glow the crystals gave off, noticing they pulsated along with his climbing heart rate. As curious as it was, he easily pushed it from mind when he spotted the small bottle lying against a further spire a good several feet away. He noticed at a second, longer glance there was the possibility it fractured. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to ignore his strong headache to telepathically levitate it back until his counterpart suddenly paused directly above his lower region. The fanged grin flashed when they crossed visions, freezing his insides.

Mew slowly straightened up to straddle him. “Face it, darling, you cannot win if you do not fight me,” she purred, a laugh at the tip of her tongue. “Even if you do, and you break this body, I will still come out the victor. You cannot kill me the way you could kill Mew if she were here right now. That is the difference between her and I: mortality, and immortality. As long as I am in control of this body, I can keep it alive, and keep it from aging. Which means you shall be mine for as long as it takes to give me what I want, even if I have to drain you dry.” A twisted smile broadened when she tilted her head. “But I hear that until you die, your body will only make more. And since the female only has a certain amount of eggs, let us not waste anymore time.” She lowered a hand and began fondling.

Immediately, Mewtwo started to sweat and squirm, tensing at the intensity of it. He fought back moans, though he could do little about his carnal actions. “Think about what you are doing, Legion! You are making a grave mistake!”

She refused to budge, her tongue licking across her bottom lip. “That feels lovely, does it not?” she cooed as his muscles tightened in endeavor to lift himself from the floor.

A throbbing ache began to spread the moment he felt himself unsheathe, forcing him to grit his teeth upon throwing his head back, fighting to steady his breathing. His vision wavered, though he couldn't keep his eyes closed without growing nauseous, his thoughts muddled. A groan squeezed its way out of his chest from a stray, but well-placed touch, his hips suddenly bucking. He struggled to throw her off, though she held on with her thighs.

“Relax, honey. It is normal to be anxious, but just give it a moment...”

Just as the clone let out a sharp, contracted gasp, her eyes brightened when her hand brushed along the protrusion. “Yes, Mewtwo,” she breathed out, raising her brows. A quiet cackle ripped out of her throat, running her fingers along its length. “Salute me.”

“Oh, I will, dear,” she snickered. “It will not be just me, though. I want everyone to hear you enjoying it, even your beloved. I am certain she will find herself enjoying it as well.” She let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes, her paw slowing its caressing. Mewtwo felt his body tremble from the adrenaline, cold perspiration running down his neck.

“What do you think the child will look like?” she whispered, gazing up at him beneath her eyelashes. The shadows across her eyes accentuated the piercing glow. “Will he be a mixture between you and Mew? Or possibly an exact replica of you? It is also possible he may look just like his mother. Unless you are wanting a specific look? I can do that. I would have to find the right egg and sperm, which may take a while, so we might as well get comfortable while you make up your mind.”

Mewtwo swallowed nervously as Mew positioned herself right on the tip of his manhood, smiling evilly down at it. He tried to ignore the touches while his thoughts hurriedly recalled back to what the demon said, remembering there was a flaw. Wait... The right egg... egg... the ovulation period... the surgery... the poison!

Quickly glimpsing over at the bottle, he blurted out, “Y-You overlooked one other detail, Legion.”

She appeared intrigued. “Hmm? Are you telling me you are quick?” A pleased smile flashed, frightening him. “Well then, let me assist you.”

He stopped her before she could make another move. “No, no, Legion, just listen to me,” he pleaded. “There is something wrong here.”

Her ears perked up when she made eye-contact. A cold wave flushed through his chest at the sight of a scowl. “What are you saying?”

Taking a deep breath to collect himself, he thought back to the brief topic of her ovulation. From there, as unpleasant as it was, the memory of Mew lying on a table and screaming at the scientists as they cut out the baby came to mind. Then after that horrific moment, the ones of importance were the brief conversation between two of them about the surgery and its consequence, and Bridget's confession.

Mewtwo carefully thought out his response before speaking up. “Remember when Mew was in the lab?”

A brow rose. “Of course, I showed you the memory.”

He slightly nodded. “S-So you know Mew had a Caesarean section.”

“Correct. It is faded now, but you can see the scar if you look closely.”

Biting his lip, he dared not look away from her eyes. “Notice where the incision is, how it is,” he indicated. “It did not help they were not careful. Because of it, Mew will only have a few children before complications derive.”

“There is more.” He swallowed down a lump in his throat, fighting back the tears. “She also has a poison in her bloodstream that is lethal to the fetus. I-I do not know how much she consumed, but she had enough where it will be part of her for a long time. How long, I do not know either. But she cannot get pregnant and expect the child to live. She... she will have miscarriages. You cannot prevent that.”

The clone barely noticed his body was relaxing, that the hold on him was loosening. He still couldn't look away in fear Legion thought he was lying. But the longer he stared, the more he saw the shocked expression lighting up the eyes. Her face was paling, her body trembling in place. The dark atmosphere around them started to press down, a faint glow sparking to life around her frame. Mewtwo inwardly flinched at the growing anger, keeping himself from holding his breath.

Steadily, Mew limply lifted herself off him, hands curling so tightly, her claws broke the skin where little blood dripped through. Her lips pulled back from her clenched teeth, the slitted pupils shrank into the gray background as her eyes widened, and her tail sharply flicked. Her voice was quiet and cold. “Are you serious?”

His vision wavered a little when he nodded.

She shook her head harshly. “You cannot be serious,” she snarled. “That cannot be, there is no way that can be plausible.” Then she suddenly tensed, snapping her head up as her gaze flitted to the side, her mouth agape. Mewtwo thought she noticed the water until he saw a drop of sweat run down her temple, even heard the breath catch in her chest. She was mute for a minute before she shook her head once more. “...you lie. You both lie.”

Frowning, he turned to where Legion was staring at just to find nothing. The moment he did, however, he could sense a familiar presence beside him. While he fretted over it, he hardly felt a wave of warmth run down his shoulder. Mew shortly snapped out after an awkward silence, “You were delusional over that baby! You hated it, did not want it! God answered your prayer, did He not?!”

Not a second later, his arms dropped to the floor, and it felt like weight was lifted off him. “Get your paws off him! He is mine!”

And then, Mewtwo clearly heard her voice like she was right by his ear. “He was never yours, Legion, much like that body.”

He let out a small gasp and turned his head. There was vaguely a faint outline he could see, levitating at his side. He raised a hand to his chest. “...Mew?”

“You!” He swerved over to find Legion glaring at him, eyes blazing. “You knew she was here! You stalled for time!”

“Leave Mewtwo out of this,” was the cool demand.

“Shut up, bitch!” the demon screamed at the crystals.

“It is I you want, Legion! You are in my body for a reason!”

“Shut up! You are dead, DEAD!”

“If I am dead, how could I still bleed? How could I still have a heart in death? You do not have the right to end a life when you don't have a life yourself.”

“You lie, lie!” The impostor clutched Mew's head, pressing down her ears. “You cannot be here, you are in Prison for eternity! I placed you there myself!”

“Demons cannot judge spirits!”

“I AM A DEMON LORD! I CONDEMN THE DAMNED!”

“Condemn me then, Legion! If I am damned as you say, condemn me!”

“YOU HAD YOUR JUDGMENT! DAMNED, DAMNED!”

“You want judgment? Then kill me, Legion! Kill me!”

Mewtwo finally stood up, unwilling to hear their screams a second further. “Legion, I beg of you, cease this torment! Let her come back into her body! Release her, please!”

“LIKE HELL I AM!” Snapping Mew's head up, he unleashed a psychic attack that induced a blow to the clone's skull, cracking him into the spires at an angle. He slumped against them, wincing at the severe aches in his head and neck as his vision clouded over. The blood poured down the side of his face, a couple of rivers trickling into his eye and mouth. “I will not release her, but I will take up on an offer or two!”

Wiping away the irritation, Mewtwo squinted in the hopes he still had some of his sight. When he was finally able to see, Legion was gone. He grew panicky, sloppily pulling himself to his shaky feet. “Legion! Mew!” he called out, leaning against the crystals. He hissed sharply, applying pressure to the arm, though quickly brushed it aside. “Do not touch her, Legion! Where are you?!”

He winced when the echoes faded, and he dropped his gaze to the bottle. Carefully easing himself to his knees, he scooped it into his hand, eyes widening at the small puddle it had been lying in. Biting his lip, the clone held the vial up to the light, throat closing up to see it half-drained. Rubbing away any tears that welled up, Mewtwo stood up with a groan, then growled at the shot of pain in his arm. Clutching it tightly, he stumbled from spire to spire, flinching at the gleam from the Heart when he hurried by. The presence of Mew was still in the chamber, so he let it guide him out. The throbs in his head made him dizzy, and black spots popping up in his line of vision didn't help. With a moan, he rounded a corner, collapsing against the wall for ballast. Through the haze across his vision, he saw what appeared to be daylight not far ahead, and quickened his pace, hoping he was close to the end.

When he reached the exit, he suddenly couldn't feel Mew in his heart, and his strength gave out on him. He coughed from the dust and exhaustion, struggling to lift his head off the ground. His sight evened out as he gaped at Legion floating there some feet ahead, leering down at him. There was a slight howl of wind rushing by, so Mewtwo hardly heard the demon say, “How the mighty have fallen.”

He shook his head to clear his ears before listening again. “Your beloved put up a long fight, Mewtwo, I cannot keep up with her. She is a valiant, strong woman, the finest of her kind. I am going to let her go now like you asked me to. Do me a favor and take good care of her.” Sighing, the demon raised a hand to rub the neck, then gave a wicked smirk. “That is, if you can catch her.”

Digging the claws into the flesh deeply, he slit Mew's throat. Dark, thick blood bubbled out onto the rocky ground before Mewtwo, some splashing on his pallid face. He watched horrifically as the devilish glare transitioned into a wide-eyed stare with a blink, the pupils disappeared from view; the evil laugh faded to an open-mouthed gasp; and the erect, proud stance fell into a pathetic slump. Her head slowly lifted up to cross visions with him where he saw the light draining from the depths. Her lips wordlessly mouthed as she dropped from mid-air and disappeared beyond the cliff.

So, it's true then. Amber is the daughter of Dr Fuji (that was his name, right?), like I'm sure a few suspected. Before we got to the end, I quite liked that chapter part. Second part..... GO MEWTWO. Way to be strong. Way to be purely awesome.

Last chapter: oh my. So Legion, realising that there was nothing he could do to prevent Mew re-inhabiting her body, slit Mew's throat and departed? So.....